Question

You are in a spacecraft moving at a constant velocity. The front thruster rocket fires incorrectly, causing the craft to slow down. You try to shut it off but fail. Instead, you fire the rear thruster, which exerts a force equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the front thruster. How does the craft respond

Answer 1

Answer:

It continue to move forward at a constant velocity which will be slower than before the front thruster was fired.

Explanation:

Before the front thruster was fired, the spacecraft was already moving at a particular velocity.

After the malfunction, the front thruster is fired and then the force exerted by that front thruster slows the spacecraft down, as we are told.

By using the rear thruster to exert a force equal to that from the front thrusters, a force equal in magnitude to that of the front thrusters is added, cancelling out the effect of the front thrusters. Because the spacecraft is already moving at a slower speed at this point compared to the beginning, it continues to move at that speed.