Question

On February 15, 2013, a superbolide meteor (brighter than the Sun) entered Earth’s atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, and exploded at an altitude of 23.5 km. Eyewitnesses could feel the intense heat from the fireball, and the blast wave from the explosion blew out windows in buildings. The blast wave took approximately 2 minutes 30 seconds to reach ground level. (a) What was the average velocity of the blast wave? b) Compare this with the speed of sound, which is 343 m/s at sea level.

Answer 1

The average velocity of the blast wave from the Chelyabinsk meteor was 156.67 meters per second, which is slower than the speed of sound at sea level (343 meters per second).

Step-by-step explanation:

On February 15, 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteor exploded at an altitude of 23.5 km with an energy release comparable to a nuclear bomb. Eyewitnesses reported feeling the heat and encountering the blast wave that damaged buildings and injured many. The blast wave took approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds (150 seconds) to reach the ground.

a) To calculate the average velocity of the blast wave, we use the formula velocity = distance/time. The blast wave traveled 23.5 km, which is 23,500 meters. Therefore, the average velocity is 23,500 meters / 150 seconds = 156.67 meters per second.

b) When compared to the speed of sound at sea level, which is 343 meters per second, the blast wave's average velocity of 156.67 meters per second is significantly slower. This comparison indicates that the blast wave propagated less rapidly than sound travels in air at sea level.

Answer 2

156.7m/s, almost half the speed of sound.

Step-by-step explanation:

23.5 km are 23500m and 2 minutes 30 seconds are 150 seconds.

The formula for average speed is:

`\bar{v}=(\Delta x)/(\Delta t)=(23500m)/(150s)=156.7m/s`

The ratio between this and the speed of sound is:

`\frac{\bar{v}}{v_s}=(156.7m/s)/(343m/s) =0.46`

Which means that the average velocity of the blast wave was almost half the speed of sound.