Question

Neglecting gravity, doubling the exhaust velocity from a single stage rocket initially at rest changes the final kinetic energy of the burnout stage by what factor? Assume all other variables, such as the mass of the rocket and the mass of the fuel, do not change. Group of answer choices It is the same. It doubles. It quadruples. It increases by a factor of 1.693.

Answer 1

When considering a single-stage rocket at rest, neglecting gravity, and assuming all other variables remain constant (such as rocket mass and fuel mass), doubling the exhaust velocity will quadruple the final kinetic energy of the burnout stage. This is due to the fact that kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of the velocity. Therefore, doubling the exhaust velocity will result in four times the kinetic energy. So, the correct answer is that it quadruples.