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A rocket with an initial mass $m_0$ is going up with a constant acceleration $a$ by exhausting gases with a velocity $v$ relative to the rocket motion, then the mass of the rocket at any instant of time is (assume that no other forces act on it)
PhysicsCenter of Mass Momentum and CollisionAP EAMCETAP EAMCET 2018 (23 Apr Shift 2)
Options:
  • A $m=m_0 e^{-\frac{a t}{v}}$
  • B $m=m_{\mathrm{e}} e^{-\frac{2 a t}{v}}$
  • C $m=m_0 e^{-\frac{\text { af }}{2 v}}$
  • D $m=m_0 e^{-\frac{a^2 t^2}{v^2}}$
Solution:
1431 Upvotes Verified Answer
The correct answer is: $m=m_0 e^{-\frac{a t}{v}}$
For a rocket,
$$
m \frac{d v}{d t}=F_{\text {ext }}+v \frac{d m}{d t}
$$
Without any external force $\left(F_{\text {ext }}=0\right)$,
$$
\begin{array}{ll}
& m \frac{d v}{d t}=v \frac{d m}{d t} \Rightarrow \int \frac{d v}{v}=\int \frac{d m}{m} \\
\Rightarrow \quad & \log v=\log m+C
\end{array}
$$
When, $v=0, m=m_0$
$$
\therefore \quad C=-\log m_0
$$
So, we have
$$
\frac{\Delta v}{v}=\log \frac{m}{m_0} \cdot d t \text { or } m=m_0 e^{-a t / v}
$$

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