Inquiry into Physics
Inquiry into Physics
8th Edition
ISBN: 9781337515863
Author: Ostdiek
Publisher: Cengage
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Textbook Question
Chapter 5, Problem 1AS

Explain why the Moon and Mercury possess only very weak, transient atmospheres consisting of constituents temporarily captured from the solar wind or released by collisions with interplanetary debris.

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark
To determine

Why the Moon and Mercury possess only very weak, transient atmospheres consisting of constituents temporarily captured from the solar wind or released by collisions with interplanetary debris.

Answer to Problem 1AS

Both Moon and Mercury possess weak gravitational field which is caused by the dissipation of its atmosphere. Hence, the Moon and Mercury possess only very weak, transient atmospheres.

Explanation of Solution

Mercury is a small planet very close to the Sun; it is hot (having a surface temperature of more than 400 K) and has a low surface gravity (1 g on Mercury equals 3.7 m/s2 as opposed to 9.8 m/s2 on Earth). Any atmosphere may once have had escaped long ago because the particles were far too energetic to have been held in by the planet’s weak gravity. Similarly, any original atmosphere the Moon may have had must have dissipated billions of years ago despite its cooler temperature (about 300 K, like that of Earth) because its gravitational field is only about one-sixth as strong as that of Earth.

Conclusion:

Both Moon and Mercury possess weak gravitational field which is caused by the dissipation of its atmosphere. Hence, the Moon and Mercury possess only very weak, transient atmospheres.

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Chapter 5 Solutions

Inquiry into Physics

Ch. 5 - Prob. 3QCh. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Prob. 7QCh. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Prob. 9QCh. 5 - Prob. 10QCh. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Prob. 14QCh. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Prob. 18QCh. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Prob. 21QCh. 5 - Prob. 22QCh. 5 - Prob. 23QCh. 5 - Prob. 24QCh. 5 - Prob. 25QCh. 5 - Prob. 26QCh. 5 - Prob. 27QCh. 5 - Prob. 28QCh. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Prob. 31QCh. 5 - Prob. 32QCh. 5 - Prob. 33QCh. 5 - Prob. 34QCh. 5 - Prob. 35QCh. 5 - Prob. 36QCh. 5 - Prob. 37QCh. 5 - Prob. 38QCh. 5 - Prob. 39QCh. 5 - (¦ Indicates a review question, which means it...Ch. 5 - Prob. 41QCh. 5 - Prob. 42QCh. 5 - Prob. 43QCh. 5 - Prob. 44QCh. 5 - Prob. 45QCh. 5 - Prob. 46QCh. 5 - Prob. 1PCh. 5 - On a nice winter day at the South Pole, the...Ch. 5 - An iron railroad rail is 700 ft long when the...Ch. 5 - A copper vat is 10 m long at room temperature...Ch. 5 - A machinist wishes to insert a steel rod with a...Ch. 5 - An aluminum wing on a passenger is 30 m long when...Ch. 5 - A fixed amount of a particular ideal gas at 16C°...Ch. 5 - em>. The volume of an ideal gas enclosed in a...Ch. 5 - A gas is compressed inside a cylinder (Figure...Ch. 5 - Prob. 10PCh. 5 - . How much heat is needed to raise the temperature...Ch. 5 - Prob. 12PCh. 5 - - (a) Compute the amount of heat needed to raise...Ch. 5 - Prob. 14PCh. 5 - . A 1,200-kg car going 25 m/s is brought to a stop...Ch. 5 - Prob. 16PCh. 5 - Prob. 17PCh. 5 - Prob. 18PCh. 5 - . On a winter day, the air temperature is — 15°C,...Ch. 5 - . On a summer day in Houston, the temperature is...Ch. 5 - . Inside a building, the temperature is 20°C, and...Ch. 5 - . On a hot summer day in Washington, D.C., the...Ch. 5 - . An apartment has the dimensions 10 in 1w 5 in 3...Ch. 5 - Prob. 24PCh. 5 - . The temperature of the air in thermals decreases...Ch. 5 - In cold weather, you can sometimes "see" your...Ch. 5 - . What is the Carnot efficiency of a heat engine...Ch. 5 - . What is the maximum efficiency that a hear...Ch. 5 - . As a gasoline engine is miming, an amount of...Ch. 5 - . A proposed ocean thermal-energy conversion...Ch. 5 - . An irreversible process takes place by which the...Ch. 5 - . The temperature in the deep interiors of some...Ch. 5 - Prob. 1CCh. 5 - Pyrex g1assware is noted for its ability to...Ch. 5 - Prob. 3CCh. 5 - As air rises in the atmosphere, its temperature...Ch. 5 - . 5. If air at 35°C and 77 percent relative...Ch. 5 - Prob. 6C
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