Question

In a novel from 1866 the author describes a spaceship that is blasted out of a cannon with a speed of about 1.20×104 m/s . The spaceship is approximately 274 m long, but part of it is packed with gunpowder, so it accelerates over a distance of only 211m.

What was the acceleration (in m/s2 ) experienced by the occupants of the spaceship during launch? (Though the novel’s author realized that the “travelers would … encounter a violent recoil,” he probably didn’t know that people generally lose consciousness if they experience accelerations greater than about 7g∼70m/s2. )

Answer 1

Answer:341232 m/s^2

Explanation: you are given velocity, 1.20x10^4

distance, 211m (the 274m don't matter here)

with this information, you use the 3rd kinematic equation, vf^2-vi^2=2a(xf-xi)

vf and vi can just combine to become V (same with x)

divide ay on both sides to make a stay by itself

you are left with a=V^2/2x

plugin, 1.20x10^4/2x211

put it through a calculator and you get 341232 m/s^2

and I'm assuming you are doing MasterPhysics since I just did mine there so the answer for you is either 340000 m/s^2 or 3.4x10^5 m/s^2