The Millennium Falcon returns to space from hyperspace with at a speed of 86.8 k
ID: 1475875 • Letter: T
Question
The Millennium Falcon returns to space from hyperspace with at a speed of 86.8 km/s. To Han and Chewie’s surprise, a Star Destroyer is 145 km ahead of them, moving in the same direction at a slower pace of 37.8 km/s. Without evasive action, the Millennium Falcon will bump into the Star Destroyer in just about 2.10 seconds. Chewbacca immediately hits the brakes.
Assuming the acceleration is constant, what magnitude of acceleration does the Millennium Falcon need to avoid colliding with the Star Destroyer?
Explanation / Answer
relative speed of millennium falcon = 86.8 - 37.8 = 49 km/s = 49000 m/s
stopping distance. d = 145 km = 145000 m
Vf = final speed = 0
a = acceleration
using the equation
Vf2 = Vi2 + 2 a d
02 = 490002 + 2 a (145000)
a = - 8279.3 m/s2