Beings on spherical asteroid Π have observed that a large rock is approaching their asteroid in a collision course. At 7514 km from the center of the asteroid, the rock has a speed of 136.0 m/s and later at 2823 km it has a speed of 392.0 m/s. Use energy conservation to find the mass of asteroid Π. You can neglect any effects due to the parent star of the asteroid. (G = 6.67 × 10^-11N ∙ m²/kg²) A) 4.582 × 10²¹ kg B) 9.164 × 10²⁷ kg C) 6.112 × 10²⁸ kg D) 4.582 × 10²⁰ kg

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using conservation of mechanical energy, the change in kinetic energy is equal to the change in gravitational potential energy. Solving for the mass of the asteroid using the given speeds and distances gives the result.

Beings on Spherical Asteroid Π Have Observed That a Large