# A 4000 lb meteor hits the earth's surface at 15,000 ft/s. How much heat, in Btu, is generated in...

## Question:

A 4000 lb meteor hits the earth's surface at 15,000 ft/s. How much heat, in Btu, is generated in the collision?

## Kinetic Energy:

The energy possed by a body in motion is known as the kinetic energy of the body.

A body of mass m is moving with a velocity v the kinetic energy of the body is {eq}K_E = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 {/eq}

This energy can be converted to other forms of energy.

## Answer and Explanation:

Given:

• Mass of the meteor is {eq}m=400 \ lb {/eq}.
• The velocity with which the meteor hits the earth surface is {eq}v=15000 \ ft/s. {/eq}

We assume that due to collision all the kinetic energy of the meteor is converted to heat energy.

Thus we have the amount of heat generated is

{eq}\begin{align*} H&= \frac{1}{2}mv^2\\ &=\frac{1}{2}\times 400 \times 15000^2 \ Btu\\ &=4.5\times 10^{10} \ Btu\Rightarrow (Answer) \end{align*} {/eq}

#### Learn more about this topic:

Kinetic Energy: Examples & Definition

from General Studies Science: Help & Review

Chapter 4 / Lesson 14
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