What condition must be satisfied to determine the escape velocity of a projectil
ID: 2196032 • Letter: W
Question
What condition must be satisfied to determine the escape velocity of a projectile launched from the surface of the Earth? A. The total mechanical energy must be zero, where the zero point of the gravitational potential energy is defined at the surface of the Earth. B. The total mechanical energy must be infinite, where the zero point of gravitational potential energy is defined at infinity. C. The total mechanical energy must be zero, where the zero point of gravitational potential energy is defined at infinity. D. The total mechanical energy must be infinite, where the zero point of the gravitational potential energy is defined at the surface of the Earth.Explanation / Answer
B The total mechanical energy must be zero, where the zero point of gravitational potential energy is defined at infinity. reason As a result, the escape velocity is found from 1/2 mV^2 - mgR = 0; where V = sqrt(2gR) is the escape velocity for a planet with g on the surface at R radius