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In early testflights for the space shuttle using a "glider" (mass of 1000kg including pilot), it was noted that after a horizontal launch at 500km/h at an altitude of 3500m, the glider eventually landed at a speed of 200km/h.
a) What would its landing spped have been in the absence of air resistance?
I use the PE + KE = KE principle and get that the speed should be 294 m/s. No problem here.
b) What was the average force of air resistance exerted on it if it came in a constant glide of 10 degrees to the earth?
I first tried to solve this by solving for the time it takes to fall vertically to the ground 3500 = 1/2 x 9.8 x t^2 Then Since I know the difference between the inital speed and final speed and the time, i can calculate the avg. acceleration, then put it into the F = ma formula. I get a resonable answer, but since I assume that there is no air resistance on the vertical fall, i get about 1000 N wrong. There must be another method of solving this.
Plz help!
a) What would its landing spped have been in the absence of air resistance?
I use the PE + KE = KE principle and get that the speed should be 294 m/s. No problem here.
b) What was the average force of air resistance exerted on it if it came in a constant glide of 10 degrees to the earth?
I first tried to solve this by solving for the time it takes to fall vertically to the ground 3500 = 1/2 x 9.8 x t^2 Then Since I know the difference between the inital speed and final speed and the time, i can calculate the avg. acceleration, then put it into the F = ma formula. I get a resonable answer, but since I assume that there is no air resistance on the vertical fall, i get about 1000 N wrong. There must be another method of solving this.
Plz help!