Suppose we have a spaceship about the size of a typical ocean cruise ship today, which means it has a mass of about 120 million kilograms, and we want to accelerate the ship to a speed of 12 % of the speed of light. Suppose you want to generate the energy to get it to cruising speed using matter-antimatter annihilation. Part A. How much energy would be required? (Hint: You can find the answer simply by calculating the kinetic energy of the ship when it reaches its cruising speed; because 12 % of the speed of light is still small compared to the speed of light, you can use the formula that tell us that kinetic energy = 12mv2.) Express your answer using two significant figures.
Part B. How does your answer compare to total world energy use at present, which is about 5×1022 joules per year? How does your answer compare to total world energy use at present, which is about joules per year? ∼1 ∼105 ∼1020
Part C. The typical cost of energy today is roughly 5¢ per 1 million joules. Using this price, how much would it cost to generate the energy needed by this spaceship? Express your answer using two significant figures.