Chapter 14, Problem 60GP

To determine

The minimum velocity of the meteorite before entering in Earth’s atmosphere.

Answer to Problem 60GP

The minimum velocity of the meteorite before entering in Earth’s atmosphere is $1520\text{m}/\text{s}$ .

Explanation of Solution

Given:

The initial temperature of the meteorite is, $T=-125°\text{C}=\left(-125°\text{C}+273\right)\text{K}=148\text{K}$ .

Formula Used:

The expression to calculate the minimum velocity of the meteorite before entering in Earth’s atmosphere is,

  $v=\sqrt{2c\left(T_f-T\right)+L}$

Calculation:

Substitute all the values in the above expression.

  $\begin{array}{c}v=\sqrt{2\left(450\right)\left(1808°\text{C}-\left(-125\text{}°\text{C}\right)\right)+2.89\times {10}^5}\\ =1520\text{m}/\text{s}\end{array}$

Conclusion:

Thus, the minimum velocity of the meteorite before entering in Earth’s atmosphere is $1520\text{m}/\text{s}$ .