To set the world land speed record and travel faster than the speed of sound, the Thrust SSC vehicle used two jet engines that produced about a 250,000 horsepower. The principal reason why this car needed so much power to travel so fast is that
A) a car's momentum is proportional to its power, so reaching very high momentum requires very high power.
B) the pressure drag on a car increases dramatically as the car's speed increases.
C) the force of the car's momentum was enormous and the jet engines were needed to supply that force.
D) Newton's second law requires a very fast moving object to have a very large acceleration and thus a very large force.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The primary reason Thrust SSC required such immense power is due to the dramatic increase in pressure drag as the vehicle's speed increases, especially as it approaches and surpasses the speed of sound. This drag force rises significantly with speed, necessitating more power to overcome it and achieve record-breaking velocities.

To Set the World Land Speed Record and Travel Faster