Answer to Question #158441 in Physics for sela

Question

object a has a mass of 1.31 kg and object b has a mass of 2.62 kg. use the mass and velocity values to determine the momentum of the objects before and after the collision. enter all values in the table below. finally determine the total momentum of the system before and after the collision and the change in momentum of each individual object

Answer 1

Determine the momentum of the objects before the collision:

$$p_{iA}=1.31\cdot5=6.55\text{ kg m/s},\\ p_{iB}=2.62\cdot(-2.5)=-6.55\text{ kg m/s},\\ p_{fA}=1.31\cdot(-5)=-6.55\text{ kg m/s},\\ p_{fB}=2.62\cdot2.5=6.55\text{ kg m/s}.$$

The total momentum before and after the collision is 0 (sum of the initial or final momenta).

The change in momentum, for both objects:

$$\Delta p_A=p_{fA}-p_{iA}=13.1\text{ kg m/s}.\\ \Delta p_B=p_{fB}-p_{iB}=13.1\text{ kg m/s}.$$