Answer to Question #274019 in Quantum Mechanics for Ella

Question

Imagine that you are on a space walk outside a vessel coasting

through interstellar space. You have launched a reference probe that is

perfectly stationary relative to the ship, equipped with precision laser

velocity-measuring devices. A meteoroid approaches at 4.0 m/s, strikes

the ship, and bounces off in exactly the opposite direction at 2.0 m/s.

you grab the meteoroid, take it into the ship, put it into an inertial mass

meter, and find out that it masses 1.0 kg. The ship’s mass is 20,000 kg

without you on board. You know that the impact has caused the space

ship to start moving relative to the probe in the same direction the

meteoroid was originally travelling. What will the probe indicate as the

magnitude of the ship’s post-collision velocity vector?

Answer 1

$$mv _ 1 ​ =−mv _ 2 ​ +Mu$$

$$u=m\frac{v_1+v_2}{M}=0.3\frac{mm}{s}$$