a) A typical large asteroid in our solar system has an approximate mass of 1.0 x

Question

a) A typical large asteroid in our solar system has an approximate mass of 1.0 x 1018 kg and an orbital speed of 18000 m/s. Determine the amount of kinetic energy possessed by this asteroid.

b) One tonne of TNT releases about 4.2 gigajoules of energy. Calculate how many tonnes of TNT the energy in part a is equal to.

c) The largest thermonuclear bomb ever exploded was the Soviet Tsar Bomba bomb, which possessed an explosive energy equivalent of approximately 50 megatonnes of TNT. Assuming that the asteroid does not speed up as it crashes into the Earth (for simplicity), calculate how many Tsar Bombas the crashing asteroid would be equivalent to.

Explanation / Answer

a) mass = 1*10^18 kg , orbital speed = 18000 m/s

KE =0.5 mv^2

KE = 0.5*10^18*(18000)^2 = 1.6*10^26 J

b) 1 TNT = 4.2*10^9 J

1.6*10^26/4.2*10^9 = 3.85*10^16 TNT

c) no. of tsar bombas crashing = 3.85*10^16 / (50*10^3) = 7.7*10^11

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