You can use the conservation of momentum, under the assumption that no mass was lost when the collision occurred. The initial momentum of the system must equal the final momentum of the system. Our system is the region including, and only including, the satellite and the space debris. Classical momentum is defined as the product of mass and velocity:

$p_i=p_f$

$m_1v_1_i+m_2v_2_i=m_1v_1_f+m_2v_2_f$

Due to mass 1 equaling mass 2, we can factor these quantities out:

$m(v_1_i+v_2_i)=m(v_1_f+v_2_f)$

Cancel the mass term on both sides to get:

$v_1_i+v_2_i=v_1_f+v_2_f$

We have the initial and final velocities for everything besides the final velocity of the satellite. Plug everything in:

$3700m/s+6000m/s=v_1_f+3700m/s$

$v_1_f=6000m/s$

7 0

2 years ago

What is the Coriolis Force?

lys-0071 [83]

It's a virtual force ... one that seems to be there but isn't really there.

When something tries to fly or flow straight, through a rotating neighborhood, it ends up flying or flowing in a curved path, AS IF there were a force acting on it to make it curve. THAT apparent force is the Coriolis force.

It's what makes air, flowing away from high pressure or into low pressure, form the big rotating pressure systems on the rotating Earth.

7 0

3 years ago