An astronaut is performing maintenance outside a space station in deep space, far from any significant gravitational fields. The astronaut and a heavy metal wrench are both drifting together in a straight line at a constant velocity of relative to the station. If the astronaut simply lets go of the wrench without pushing it, which of the following best describes the resulting motion of the wrench?
- It will continue moving in the exact same direction at , as its inertia maintains its state of constant velocity.Answer
- BIt will rapidly decelerate and come to a complete stop, because the active force from the astronaut is no longer pushing it forward.
- CIt will immediately begin falling downward away from the astronaut, as the heavy weight of the metal causes it to drop when no longer supported.
- DIt will shoot forward at a faster speed than the astronaut, because its smaller mass requires less force to accelerate.
Answer
The wrench will continue moving in the exact same direction at , as its inertia maintains its state of constant velocity.
According to Newton's First Law of Motion, an object will remain in its current state of uniform motion unless acted upon by an external, unbalanced force. Since the wrench is released in a frictionless vacuum with no significant gravity, there are zero external forces acting on it. Therefore, its intrinsic inertia dictates that it will continue traveling indefinitely at its initial constant velocity.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Newton's First Law (Inertia)