- #1
Benjamin Fogiel
- 2
- 0
Homework Statement
A rocket burns out at an altitude h above the Earth's surface. Its speed v0 at burnout exceeds the escape speed vesc appropriate to the burnout altitude. Show that the speed v of the rocket very far from the Earth is given by v=(v02-v2esc)1/2
Homework Equations
KEf-KEi=Ui-Uf
The Attempt at a Solution
I plugged in the values of kinetic and potential energies:
(m1v2)/2 - (m1v02)/2 = (-Gm1m2)/r1 + (Gm1m2)/r2
Simplified to get:
v2=(-2Gm2)/r1 + (2Gm2)/r2 + v02
Im not sure where to go from here