In Robert Heinlein’s The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, the colonial inhabitants of the Moon threaten to launch rocks down onto Earth if they are not given independence (or at least representation). Assuming a gun could launch a rock of mass m at twice the lunar escape speed, calculate the speed of the rock as it enters Earth’s atmosphere.

From what might be a possible scene in the comic book The X-Men, the Juggernaut (mJ) is charging into Colossus (mC) and the two collide. The initial speed of the Juggernaut is vJi and the initial speed of Colossus is vCi. After the collision, the final speed of the Juggernaut is vJf and the final speed of Colossus is vCf as they each bounce off of the other, heading in opposite directions. a. What is the impulse experienced by the Juggernaut? b. What is the impulse experienced by Colossus? c. In your own words, explain how these impulses must compare with each other and how they are related to the average force each superhero experiences during the collision.

A particle of mass m moving along the x-axis with a velocity component +u collides head-on and sticks to a particle of mass m/3 moving along the x-axis with the velocity component −u. What is the mass M of the resulting particle?

What exhaust speed is required to accelerate a rocket in deep space from 800 m/s to 1000 m/s in 5.0 s if the total rocket mass is 1200 kg and the rocket only has 50 kg of fuel left?

A model rocket engine has an average thrust of 5.26 N. It has an initial mass of 25.5 g, which includes fuel mass of 12.7 g. The duration of its burn is 1.90 s. (a) What is the average exhaust speed of the engine? (b) This engine is placed in a rocket body of mass 53.5 g. What is the final velocity of the rocket if it were to be fired from rest in outer space by an astronaut on a spacewalk? Assume the fuel burns at a constant rate.

The momentum of an object is increased by a factor of 4 in magnitude. By what factor is its kinetic energy changed? (a) 16 (b) 8 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1

A skater of mass 40 kg is carrying a box of mass 5 kg. The skater has a speed of 5 m/s with respect to the floor and is gliding without any friction on a smooth surface. a. Find the momentum of the box with respect to the floor. b. Find the momentum of the box with respect to the floor after she puts the box down on the frictionless skating surface.

What is the average momentum of an avalanche that moves a 40-cm-thick layer of snow over an area of 100 m by 500 m over a distance of 1 km down a hill in 5.5 s? Assume a density of 350kg/m3 for the snow.

A space probe, initially at rest, undergoes an internal mechanical malfunction and breaks into three pieces. One piece of mass ml = 48.0 kg travels in the positive x-direction at 12.0 m/s, and a second piece of mass m2 = 62.0 kg travels in the xy-plane at an angle of 105 at 15.0 m/s. The third piece has mass m3 = 112 kg. (a) Sketch a diagram of the situation, labeling the different masses and their velocities, (b) Write the general expression for conservation of momentum in the x- and y-directions in terms of m1, m2, m3, v1, v2 and v3 and the sines and cosines of the angles, taking to be the unknown angle, (c) Calculate the final x-components of the momenta of m1 and m2. (d) Calculate the final y-components of the momenta of m1 and m2. (e) Substitute the known momentum components into the general equations of momentum for the x- and y-directions, along with the known mass m3. (f) Solve the two momentum equations for v3 cos and v3 sin , respectively, and use the identity cos2 + sin2 = 1 to obtain v3. (g) Divide the equation for v3 sin by that for v3 cos to obtain tan , then obtain the angle by taking the inverse tangent of both sides, (h) In general, would three such pieces necessarily have to move in the same plane? Why?

A projectile of mass 2.0 kg is fired in the air at an angle of 40.0 to the horizon at a speed of 50.0 m/s. At the highest point in its flight, the projectile breaks into three parts of mass 1.0 kg, 0.7 kg, and 0.3 kg. The 1.0-kg part falls straight down after breakup with an initial speed of 10.0 m/s, the 0.7-kg part moves in the original forward direction, and the 0.3-kg part goes straight up. Launch a. Find the speeds of the 0.3-kg and 0.7-kg pieces immediately after the break-up. b. How high from the break-up point does the 0.3-kg piece go before coming to rest? c. Where does the 0.7-kg piece land relative to where it was fired from?