Handout 4 Collision
Handout 4 Collision
Introduction
Conservation of Momentum
Development
Sample problem:
A. Two ice skaters stand together. They “push off” and travel directly away from
each other, the boy with a velocity of 1.50 m/s. If the boy weighs 735 N and
the girl, 490 N, what is the girl’s velocity after they push off? (Consider the ice
to be frictionless.)
Given:
Vboy = 1.50 m/s Wboy = 635 N Wgirl= 490 N
Find:
Vgirl = ?
Solution:
- Take note that in this problem, the given is the “weight” and not the “mass”.
Remember that Weight = mass/acceleration due to gravity, or w=m/g.
Therefore, we have to compute for the mass first, because we are talking about
the momentum of the objects in the system.
- Thus, m=w/g
- Since the two skaters stand on the ice which is frictionless, then there is no
external force present. The momentum of the boy and girls is conserved, and
there is no change in momentum after the push-off.
The girl moves at a rate of 2.25 m/s opposite to the direction of the boy.
B. Two ice skaters stand together. They “push off” and travel directly away from
each other, the boy with a velocity of 0.50 m/s and the girl with a velocity of
0.65 m/s. If the mass of the boy is 60 kg, what is the girl’s mass?
Given:
boy girl
Mass 60 kg ?
-0.65 m/s
Velocity 0.50 m/s (negative, because it is in
the opposite direction)
3 Science 9 Handout – Quarter 4 Week 4
Find:
mgirl = ?
Solution:
- Since the given is the problem is the mass of the objects of the system, then we
can proceed to the computation of the mass of the girl
A. A 0.2-kg ball moves to the right with a speed of 3 m/s. It hits a 0.5-kg ball at rest.
After collision, the second ball moves to the right with a speed of 1 m/s. What
is the speed of the first ball after collision?
Given:
m1 = 0.2 kg m2 = 0.5 kg
v1 = 3 m/s v2 = 0
v1’ = ? v2’ = 1 m/s
Before After
m1v1 + m2v2 = m1v1’ + m2v2’
(0.2 kg x 3 m/s) + (0.5 kg x 0) = (0.2 kg) v1’ + (0.5 kg x 1 m/s)
0.6 kg m/s = (0.2 kg) v1’ + 0.5 kg
0.6 kg m/s - 0.5 kg = (0.2 kg) v1’
0.1 kg m/s (0.2 kg) v1’
=
0.2 kg 0.2 kg
0.5 m/s = v1’
B. A 15-kg tuna fish moving horizontally to the right at 5 m/s swallows a 2-kg
dalagang bukid that is swimming to the left at 7.5 m/s. What is the velocity of
the two fishes together?
Given:
m1 = 15 kg m2 = 2 kg
v1 = 5 m/s v2 = -7.5 m/s
v’ = ?
Before After
m1v1 + m2v2 = (m1+m2) v’
(15 kg x 5 m/s) + (2 kg x -7.5 m/s) = (15 kg + 2 kg) v’
75 kg m/s + (-15 kg m/s) = (17 kg) v’
60 kg m/s = (17 kg) v’
60 kg m/s (17 kg) v1’
=
17 kg 17 kg
3.53 m/s = v’