Estimate that a 2.0-km-wide with the earth once every millions years. The collis

Question

Estimate that a 2.0-km-wide with the earth once every millions years. The collision could price a threat to life on Earth. Assume a spherical asteroid has a mass of 3600 kg for each cubic meter of volume toward the Earth at 16 km/s. How much destructive energy could be released when it embeds itself in the Earth? For comparison a nuclear bomb could release about 4.0 Times 10^16 J. How much such bombs would have to explode simultaneously to release the destructive energy of the asteroid collision with the Earth?

Explanation / Answer

kinetic energy to be released in Collison, KE = 1/2mv^2
volume of a regular sphere = 4/3*pi*r^3,
r = 2000 /2 = 1000 m
density = 3500kg/m^3
m = Density * Volume
m = 3500 *  4/3 * pi * 1000^3 Kg = 1.46*1013 kg

PART A
K.E = 1/2 *m* (17*10^3)^2
K.E = 1/2 *1.46*1013 * (16*10^3)^2 J
K.E = 1.8765 *10^21 J

PART B
N' of Bombs needed to explode simulteneously which would release same energy = (1.8765 *10^21 ) / (4.0*10^16)
N' of Bombs needed to explode simulteneously which would release same energy = 46914

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