All Problems

Laws of Conservation

Problem 1.181

A spaceship of mass m0m_{0} moves in the absence of external forces with a constant velocity v0\mathbf{v}_{0}. To change the motion direction, a jet engine is switched on. It starts ejecting a gas jet with velocity uu which is constant relative to the spaceship and directed at right angles to the spaceship motion. The engine is shut down when the mass of the spaceship decreases to mm. Through what angle α\alpha did the motion direction of the spaceship deviate due to the jet engine operation?

Reveal Answer
α=(u/v0)ln(m0/m)\alpha=\left(u / v_{0}\right) \ln \left(m_{0} / m\right)