starship physics?

0 ⤊

The Starship Enterprise (m= 3.9 x 10^9Kg) is traveling at 3 x 10^8 m/s when it slams into earth which has a mass of 6.0 x 10^24 Kg. What is the velocity of Earth if the enterprise sticks to it?

2006-11-14 15:46:11 · 2 answers · asked by josh h 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics

2 answers

Since Enterprise was traveling at light speed, its relativistic mass was infinite. Therefore the momentum was infinite, as is the momentum of the Earth/Enterprise mix. So the velocity of the mix is also at light speed to maintain infinite mass and momentum. Poor Earth got taken for a ride.

This is of course all a lot of hooey.

2006-11-14 19:26:48 · answer #1 · answered by SAN 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋

Conservation of momentum. momentum in = momentum out

2006-11-15 01:14:26 · answer #2 · answered by arbiter007 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋