Answer to Question #171851 in Atomic and Nuclear Physics for Nema

Question

A 50kg cat statue falls from a second floor (10m high) window. With what momentum does it impact the ground with?

Answer 1

Let's first find the impact velocity of the cat statue:

$$PE=KE,$$ $$mgh=\dfrac{1}{2}mv^2,$$ $$v=\sqrt{2gh}=\sqrt{2\cdot9.8\ \dfrac{m}{s^2}\cdot10\ m}=14\ \dfrac{m}{s}.$$

Finally, we can find the momentum of the cat statue:

$$p=mv=50\ kg\cdot14\ \dfrac{m}{s}=700\ \dfrac{kgm}{s}.$$