Astronomers believe that our moon originated when a Mars-sized body collided wit

Question

Astronomers believe that our moon originated when a Mars-sized body collided with the earth over 4.5 billion years ago, knocking off matter that condensed to form the moon. To get some idea of how such a collision would affect the earth, assume that the collision occurred head-on (with the two bodies traveling in opposite directions), that the Mars-sized body merged completely with the earth and was originally the same mass as Mars, and that the earth's orbital speed was the same as it is now. Assume further that the speed of the colliding body was equal to the earth's escape velocity of 11.4 (although it could have been greater).

Explanation / Answer

mass: Mars: 0.64185 x 10^24 Kg Earth: 5.9736 x 10^24 Kg p = mv or f = ma this is an inelastic collision. M1U1+M2U2 = M1V1 + M2V2 U signifies vector velocity before the collision V signifies vector velocity after the collision. E = MC^2 E would be in Joules one megaton = 4.184×1015 J

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