Final answer:
The kinetic energy of a comet with a mass of 4.8 x 10^12 kg and speed of 35 km/s before hitting the Earth's surface is 2.94 x 10^22 J, significantly more powerful than the largest fission bomb.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the kinetic energy of a comet hitting the Earth's surface, we use the kinetic energy formula KE = 0.5 × mass × velocity2. Given the mass of the comet is 4.8 x 1012 kilograms and the speed is 35 km/s (which we need to convert to meters per second by multiplying by 1,000), the calculation is as follows:
First, we convert the speed to m/s: 35,000 m/s.
Then, we plug the values into the formula:
KE = 0.5 × 4.8 x 1012 kg × (35,000 m/s)2
This results in:
KE = 0.5 × 4.8 x 1012 kg × 1.225 x 109 m2/s2
KE = 2.94 x 1022 J (Joules)
When comparing this result to the energy output of the largest fission bomb, which is 2100 TJ (1 TJ = 1012 J), the kinetic energy of the comet is significantly higher, implying that the impact on Earth would be catastrophic, causing mass destruction far beyond that of any man-made explosive device.