A 100-kg spacecraft has a sail of area 300 m² that is absorbing sunlight of intensity 800 W/m².What is the resulting acceleration of the spacecraft? A)2.4 m/s² B)2.7 × 10^-6 m/s² C)8.0 × 10^-6 m/s² D)3.8 × 10^-5 m/s²

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The force exerted by sunlight radiation pressure is given by:
F = (P/c)A,
where P is the power of the light, A is the area of the sail, and c is the speed of light.

The acceleration of the spacecraft is then:
a = F/m = (P/c)(A/m) = (800/3e8)(300/100) m/s^2 = 8.0 × 10^-6 m/s^2.

Therefore, the answer is C: 8.0 × 10^-6 m/s^2.

A 100-Kg Spacecraft Has a Sail of Area 300 M2

A 100-Kg Spacecraft Has a Sail of Area 300 M²