Assume that an MX missile goes from rest to a suborbital velocity of 4.50 km/s in 30.0 s (the actual speed and time are classified). What is its average acceleration in m/s2?


What is its average acceleration in multiples of g?

acceleration = change in velocity/change in time

=4500 m/s / 30 s

= 150 m/s^2

or about 15 g

can you tell me how you got that? I have a test soon and I seriously don't get it

I used the definition of acceleration

acceleration is how much your velocity changes per second.
so here it is the change in speed which is zero to 4500 m/s (1000 times the 4.5 because that was kilometers)
in 30 seconds.

To find the average acceleration of the missile, we can use the formula:

acceleration = change in velocity / time

Given that the missile goes from rest to a velocity of 4.50 km/s in 30.0 s, we can calculate the change in velocity:

change in velocity = final velocity - initial velocity

The initial velocity is zero, as the missile starts from rest. So the change in velocity is:

change in velocity = 4.50 km/s - 0 km/s = 4.50 km/s

To convert this velocity to m/s, we need to multiply it by 1000:

change in velocity = 4.50 km/s * 1000 m/km = 4500 m/s

Now we can calculate the average acceleration:

average acceleration = change in velocity / time

average acceleration = 4500 m/s / 30.0 s = 150 m/s^2

So, the average acceleration of the MX missile is 150 m/s^2.

To determine the average acceleration in multiples of g, we need to divide the average acceleration by the acceleration due to gravity (g). The acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2.

average acceleration in multiples of g = average acceleration / g

average acceleration in multiples of g = 150 m/s^2 / 9.8 m/s^2

average acceleration in multiples of g ≈ 15.31

Therefore, the average acceleration of the MX missile is approximately 15.31 times the acceleration due to gravity.