Question

A 50 kg rocket generates 990 N of thrust. What will be its acceleration if it is launched straight up?

Answer 1

Answer:

The acceleration of the rocket is 10 m/s².

Explanation:

Let the acceleration of the rocket be $a$ m/s².

Given:

Mass of the rocket is, $m=50\ kg$

Thrust force acting upward is, $F_{th}=990\ N$

Acceleration due to gravity is, $g=9.8\ m/s^2$

Now, force acting in the downward direction is due to the weight of the rocket and is given as:

$W=mg=50\times 9.8=490\ N$

Now, net force acting on the rocket in upward direction is given as:

$F_{net}=F_{th}-W\\F_{net}=990-490=500\ N$

Therefore, from Newton's second law, net force acting on the rocket is equal to the product of mass and acceleration.

$F_{net}=ma\\500=50a\\a=\frac{500}{50}=10\ m/s^2$

Therefore, the acceleration of the rocket is 10 m/s².