Far from any gravity, an astronaut accidentally releases a metal wrench inside a spaceship that is traveling at a constant velocity of 250 km/s away from earth in outer space.
What will be the subsequent behavior of that wrench as observed by the astronaut?
A. It will fall to the floor with constant velocity.
B. It will fall to the floor with constant acceleration.
C. It will fall to the back of the spaceship with constant velocity.
D. It will fall to the back of the spaceship with constant acceleration.
E.It will remain right where the astronaut released it.
Oh, the poor astronaut! In this zero-gravity situation, the metal wrench will actually remain right where the astronaut released it, just floating there like a lost balloon at a party. So the answer is E. It won't experience any falling or any motion at all because there is no gravity to pull it down. Tossing something in space is like throwing a joke at a brick wall, it just hangs there, unresolved.
To determine the subsequent behavior of the wrench as observed by the astronaut, we need to consider the absence of gravity and the constant velocity of the spaceship.
In outer space, there is no gravitational force acting on objects, so the wrench will not experience any downward force like it would on Earth. Therefore, options A and B, which involve falling to the floor, can be eliminated.
Since the spaceship is traveling at a constant velocity, there are no forces or accelerations acting on the wrench in the horizontal direction. As a result, the wrench will continue to move with the same velocity as the spaceship, maintaining its position relative to the astronaut. Option C, which suggests that the wrench will fall to the back of the spaceship with constant velocity, can also be eliminated.
Considering the absence of gravitational forces and the constant velocity of the spaceship, the correct answer would be E. The wrench will remain right where the astronaut released it.