Newton's second law: A 10,000-kg rocket blasts off from earth with a uniform upward acceleration of 2.00 m/s² and feels no air resistance. The upward thrust force its engines must provide during this acceleration is closest to A) 20,000 N. B) 980,000 N. C) 118,000 N. D) 78,000 N.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The thrust force must overcome both the gravitational force and provide the additional force for the acceleration. The gravitational force is $ F_g = mg = 10,000 \, \text{kg} \times 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 = 98,000 \, \text{N} $. The additional force for acceleration is $ F_a = ma = 10,000 \, \text{kg} \times 2.00 \, \text{m/s}^2 = 20,000 \, \text{N} $. Therefore, the total thrust force is $ F_t = F_g + F_a = 98,000 \, \text{N} + 20,000 \, \text{N} = 118,000 \, \text{N} $.

Newton's Second Law: a 10,000-Kg Rocket Blasts Off from Earth