In the classic 1960s science fiction comic book The Atom, a physicist discovers a basketball-sized meteorite (about 10 cm in radius) that is

Question

In the classic 1960s science fiction comic book The Atom, a physicist discovers a basketball-sized meteorite (about 10 cm in radius) that is actually a fragment of a white dwarf star. With some difficulty, he manages to carry the meteorite back to his laboratory. Estimate the mass of such a fragment. Is the assumption that he could carry it back reasonable?

in progress 0
Nguyệt Ánh 4 years 2021-08-23T03:55:56+00:00 1 Answers 2 views 0

Answers ( )

  1. Verity
    0
    2021-08-23T03:57:23+00:00
    Reply

    Answer:

    No, the assumption is not reasonable.

    Explanation:

    The density \rho of a white dwarf star is \rho = 1*10^9kg/m^3; therefore, the mass M of a basketball-sized fragment of white dwarf will be

    M =\rho V

    where V= \dfrac{4}{3} \pi r^3 is the volume of the fragment.

    For radius r = 0.1 m, the volume will be

    V= \dfrac{4}{3} \pi (0.1)^3\\\\V = 4.12*10^{-3}\:m^3

    Therefore, the mass M of the fragment is  

    M =\rho V= (1*10^9kg/m^3)* (4.12*10^{-3}\:m^3)

    \boxed{M = 4.12*10^6kg}

    which greater than the weight of an average airplane. So could the physicist carry this weight back to his laboratory? Nope. This assumption that he could carry a weight larger than an airplane is unreasonable. No human or animal can lift this much.

Leave an answer

Browse

Giải phương trình 1 ẩn: x + 2 - 2(x + 1) = -x . Hỏi x = ? ( )