Final answer:
The mass of the meteorite that created the Meteor Crater in Arizona can be roughly estimated using the given density of iron-nickel meteorites and the size of the meteorite, which points to the answer being approximately 10¹⁵ kg.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question revolves around estimating the mass of the object, specifically, the meteoroid that created the Meteor Crater in Arizona. Based on the information provided, we are told that 50,000 years ago, a meteorite containing iron-nickel with a typical density of approximately 7970 kg/m³ and a radius of about 25 to 40 meters collided with Earth. The impact created a large crater that is still visible today, with a diameter of about 1.2 kilometers.
Using the given density, we can estimate the volume of a sphere (V = 4/3 πr³) and, by multiplying the volume by the density, find the mass of the meteorite. It should be noted that a large asteroid with a mass of about 5.00 × 10¹² kg is said to be about a kilometer across, which suggests that a 25 to 40-meter meteorite would be substantially less massive. Therefore, option 2) 10¹⁵ kg appears to be the most viable choice when using rough estimation with provided data.