Physics 211
Lecture 23
Video Problem 1

Video Demonstration
Running time 5 mins, 33 seconds
 

Lecture 23, #1:  A colossal asteroid with a mass 1/100 that of Earth (this is a lot for an asteroid) is on a collision course with the Earth. To stop the disaster, a rocket is sent to the asteroid to push it off course and into a collision course with the Sun. After the asteroid has been pushed, it is found to be moving toward the Sun with a speed 10 km/s (relative to the Sun) at a distance of 5.3 × 1012 m from the Sun. How fast is it going when it is just about to crash into the Sun, i.e., when it reaches the outer portions of the Sun? (Information from the back of the book: the Sun has a mass 1.99 × 1030 kg and a radius 6.98 × 108 m.)