How efficient is a rocket at using its fuel to move an object. Assuming you put a rocket on a car with limitless fuel and the weight of the fuel isn't a concideration, is it more efficient then the car engine?
2006-12-25 17:05:04 · 3 answers · asked by Michael K 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
No, rockets are not efficient. Most of the energy produced in the thrust reaction is lost to heat seepage. While it would still be immensely powerful and would send your car flying (as happened when a guy tried to drive with a solid fuel rocket booster strapped to his car), it would not be as efficient as your car's engine.
2006-12-26 03:43:36 · answer #1 · answered by promethius9594 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Assuming everything you have stated, a rocket attached to a car would be able to accelerate the car to a higher velocity, but this isn't exactly a good thing. The faster an object moves, the more resistance from other forces. As an object gets faster it also feels more weight. A car engine is as inefficient a machine as anything else, as it also gives off a lot of heat due to energy loss. And considering that a rocket gives off more heat, due to more friction, I'd say a rocket is even less efficient. We can only understand everything up to a certain degree in which the uncertainty principle prevents us from going any further.
2006-12-25 18:27:03 · answer #2 · answered by envidiar 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
lol well with limitless fuel who cares about efficiency?? We care about efficiency because we only have a limited suppy of fuel, and it is physically impossible to create a perpectual motion machine...
nonetheless, a rocket would be terribly inefficent for cars...it would burn up way too much fuel way too fast. Cars dont have to move at rocket speeds so many aspects of a rocket would be useless for a car.
2006-12-25 21:15:32 · answer #3 · answered by elucidiamia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋