Question

Calculate the speed in m/s that the Millennium Falcon would need to reach to escape the gravitational pull of the Death Star.

Answer 1

29.2 m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

The escape velocity of an object from the surface of a planet is given by:

`v=\sqrt{(2GM)/(r)}`

where

G is the gravitational constant

M is the mass of the planet

r is the radius of the planet

In this problem, we have

`M=5.1\cdot 10^(17) kg` is the mass of the Death Star

`r=(160,000 m)/(2)=80,000 m` is its radius

Substituting into the equation, we find

`v=\sqrt{(2(6.67\cdot 10^(-11) m^3 kg^(-1) s^(-2))(5.1\cdot 10^(17) kg))/(80,000 m)}=29.2 m/s`