8-61 A space vehicle and its fuel tank are moving with a velocity of
350 m/s toward a space station. The fuel tank is then jettisoned to the
rear so that its velocity is only 250 m/s toward the station. What is
the
new speed of the space vehicle? The mass of the vehicle is 3.25 times
that
of the tank. [Ans. 380 m/s]
Note: When we are finished with the solution
to this problem I will lead you through an alternative but quite
equivalent
solution.
In questions of this type it is a good idea to make simple drawings
of the "before" and "after" situations. Which pair properly represents
this problem?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)