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A 93.0 kg spacewalking astronaut pushes off a 620 kg satellite, exerting a 115 N force for the 0.410 s it takes him to straighten his arms.

Part A:
How far apart are the astronaut and the satellite after 1.50 min? Express your answer with the appropriate units.

Answer :

Final answer:

Using Newton's third law and the impulse-momentum relationship, after applying the force to the satellite, the astronaut and the satellite travel at their respective velocities. After 1.50 minutes, they will be approximately 52.47 meters apart.

Explanation:

To determine how far apart the astronaut and the satellite will be after 1.50 minutes, we must apply Newton's third law and the concepts involving momentum and impulse. Since the astronaut and satellite start at rest with respect to each other, the momentum of the system is initially zero. The force exerted by the astronaut on the satellite is equal and opposite to the force exerted on the astronaut by the satellite (action-reaction pair). The impulse delivered by the astronaut to the satellite is the force multiplied by the time of interaction, which equals change in momentum.

For the astronaut:
Impulse = (115 N)(0.410 s)

= 47.15 Ns
Change in momentum (Δp) = m * Δv
Therefore

Δv (for astronaut) = Impulse / mass of astronaut

= 47.15 Ns / 93.0 kg

≈ 0.507 m/s

For the satellite:
As per Newton's third law, the satellite experiences the same impulse but in the opposite direction.
The mass of the satellite is larger; hence, its velocity change will be smaller.
Δv (for satellite) = Impulse / mass of satellite

= 47.15 Ns / 620 kg

≈ 0.076 m/s

After becoming detached, the astronaut and the satellite move away from each other with their respective velocities. After 1.50 minutes (or 90 seconds), the distance between them can be calculated as:

Distance = (velocity of astronaut + velocity of satellite) * time
= (0.507 m/s + 0.076 m/s) * 90 s
= (0.583 m/s) * 90 s
≈ 52.47 meters

Therefore, the astronaut and the satellite will be approximately 52.47 meters apart after 1.50 minutes.

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