- #1
ShamTheCandle
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Homework Statement
At a time when mining asteroids has become feasible, astronauts have connected a line between their 3500 kg space tug and 6200 kg asteroid. Using their ship's engine, they pull on the asteroid with a force of 490 N. Initially the tug and the asteroid are at rest, 450 m apart. How much time does it take for the ship and the asteroid to meet?
Homework Equations
[tex] F=ma [/tex]
[tex] d=v_0t+\frac{1}{2}at^2 [/tex]
The Attempt at a Solution
I attempted to solve this problem by dividing 490 N by the mass of asteroid, and after finding acceleration, I used kinematics equation to solve for t. (of course, knowing that initial velocity is zero). But I doubt it is correct, because I didn't even use mass of space tug. And is it necessary to use it? This question is even-numbered question with double star (which implies very hard) in my textbook and no answer at the back. Thanks for helping me.