Two rockets with the same mass are accelerated. Rocket A accelerates twice as quickly as rocket B. Which statement is correct?(1 point)

Responses

The motor in rocket A is four times as powerful as the motor in rocket B.
The motor in rocket A is four times as powerful as the motor in rocket B.

The motor in rocket A is twice as powerful as the motor in rocket B.
The motor in rocket A is twice as powerful as the motor in rocket B.

The motor in rocket A is equally as powerful as the motor in rocket B.
The motor in rocket A is equally as powerful as the motor in rocket B.

The motor in rocket A is half as powerful as the motor in rocket B.

1 answer

To determine the power of the motors in the two rockets based on their acceleration, we can use Newton's second law and the definition of power.

  1. According to Newton's second law, the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration: \( F = m \cdot a \).
  2. The power (\( P \)) required to do work is given by the formula: \( P = F \cdot v \), where \( v \) is velocity.

Given that both rockets have the same mass \( m \), let's denote the acceleration of Rocket B as \( a \). Therefore, the acceleration of Rocket A is \( 2a \) (twice as much).

Now, we can write the forces for each rocket:

  • Force for Rocket A: \( F_A = m \cdot (2a) = 2ma \)
  • Force for Rocket B: \( F_B = m \cdot a = ma \)

Since power is also the product of force and velocity, we need to consider that typically, in a steady-state condition (for example, when the rockets reach a certain point after some time), the velocity of the rockets will be proportional to acceleration and time. If we assume they have been accelerating for the same duration \( t \):

  • Velocity of Rocket A after time \( t \): \( v_A = 2a \cdot t \)
  • Velocity of Rocket B after time \( t \): \( v_B = a \cdot t \)

Now we can calculate the power:

  • Power for Rocket A: \( P_A = F_A \cdot v_A = (2ma)(2at) = 4ma^2t \)
  • Power for Rocket B: \( P_B = F_B \cdot v_B = (ma)(at) = ma^2t \)

Now, comparing the powers:

  • \( P_A = 4P_B \)

So, the motor in Rocket A is four times as powerful as the motor in Rocket B.

The correct statement is: The motor in rocket A is four times as powerful as the motor in rocket B.