If a rocket with a mass of 2500 tons vertically accelerates at a rate of 5/2 m/s^2, how much power will the rocket have to exert to maintain its acceleration at 15 seconds?

1 Answer
Dec 8, 2017

The power is =1153.1MW

Explanation:

The mass of the rocket is m=2500000kg

The acceleration of the rocket is a=5/2ms^-2

The acceleration due to gravity is =9.8ms^-2

According to Newton's second Law, the net force on the rocket is

F=m(a+g)=2500000*(9.8+2.5)=30750000N

Assuming that the initial velocity of the rocket is u=0ms^-1

The velocity after t=15s is

v=u+at=0+2.5*15=37.5ms^-1

The power is

P=Fv=30750000*37.5=1153125kW=1153.1MW