Question

A rocket of mass 10,000 kg is being launched vertically upwards.  The total thrust force from its engines is equal to 138 kN.  Calculate its acceleration.  Take the gravitational field strength to be 9.8 N/kg.

Answer 1

To calculate the acceleration of a 10,000 kg rocket with 138 kN of thrust force, subtract the force of gravity from the thrust to find the net force, then divide by the mass of the rocket. The acceleration is found to be 4 m/s^2.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of the question is Physics, specifically involving calculations related to Newton's second law of motion and the concept of thrust to determine acceleration.

To calculate the acceleration of the 10,000 kg rocket with a total thrust force of 138 kN, we'll use the formula:

a = F_{net} / m

First, we convert the thrust force from kilonewtons to newtons:

138 kN = 138,000 N

Then we subtract the force of gravity (which is mass times the gravitational field strength):

F_{grav} = m imes g = 10,000 kg imes 9.8 N/kg = 98,000 N

The net force (F_{net}) is the thrust force minus the force of gravity:

F_{net} = 138,000 N - 98,000 N = 40,000 N

Finally, we calculate the acceleration:

a = F_{net} / m = 40,000 N / 10,000 kg = 4 m/s^2