Answer
(a) The amount of gas used by the thruster is 0.053 kg.
(b) The thrust of the thruster is 5.19 N.
Work Step by Step
(a) When the mass of the object is changing, we can use the following equation:
$a = \frac{-v_{ex}~dm}{m_0~dt}$
$dm = \frac{a~m_0~dt}{-v_{ex}}$
$dm = \frac{(0.029~m/s^2)(180~kg)(5.0~s)}{490~m/s}$
$dm = 0.053~kg$
The amount of gas used by the thruster is 0.053 kg.
(b) $F = \frac{-v_{ex}~dm}{dt}$
$F = \frac{(490~m/s)(0.053~kg)}{5.0~s}$
$F = 5.19~N$
The thrust of the thruster is 5.19 N.
