Astronomy
Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Chapter 8, Problem 29E

How do the risks of dying from the impact of an asteroid or comet compare with other risks we are concerned about, such as dying in a car accident or from heart disease or some other natural cause? (Hint: To find the annual risk, go to the library or internet and look up the annual number of deaths from a particular cause in a particular country, and then divide by the population of that country.)

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Suppose the average mass of each of 20,000 asteroids in the solar system is 1017 kg. Compare the total mass of these asteroids to the mass of Earth. Assuming a spherical shape and a density of 3000 kg/m3, estimate the diameter of an asteroid having this average mass.

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