- #1
SherBear
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Homework Statement
A spaceship of mass 2.30×10^6kg is cruising at a speed of 5.40×10^6m/s when the antimatter reactor fails, blowing the ship into three pieces. One section, having a mass of 5.20×10^5kg, is blown straight backward with a speed of 2.20×10^6m/s. A second piece, with mass 7.80×10^5kg, continues forward at 1.20×10^6m/s.
What is the speed of the third piece? in m/s
Homework Equations
M3=m3=M-m1+m2
Conservation of Momentum says:
m1v1+m2v2+m3v3=MV
The Attempt at a Solution
To get the weight of the third piece i used
M3=m3=M-m1+m2=
2.30*10^6kg - 5.20*10^5 kg + 7.80*10^5kg= 2.56*10^6 kg
Then
m1v1+m2v2+m3v3=MV
(5.20*10^5kg)(2.20*10^6)+(7.80*10^5kg)(1.20*10^6 m/s)+(2.56*10^6 kg) V3 = (2.30*10^6kg)(5.40*10^6ms)=
This may sound dumb but I don't know how to do this equation
I have 1.44*10^12 + 9.36*10^11 + 2.50*10^6
2.0800025*10^12 = 1.242*10^13
Then do I divide those 2, if so I get 1.67*10^-1 and it's wrong
What am I doing wrong?
Thank you