What velocity must a 1340 kg car have in order to have the same momentum as a 2680 kg truck traveling at a velocity of 15 m/s to the west?
momentum = mass * velocity, so ...
Remember to say West.
3.0 x 10^1 m/s to the west
To find the velocity of the car, we can use the principle of conservation of momentum. According to this principle, the total momentum before an event is equal to the total momentum after the event, provided no external forces act on the system.
Let's denote the velocity of the car as v (to be determined) and the velocity of the truck as 15 m/s (given). The mass of the car is 1340 kg, and the mass of the truck is 2680 kg.
The momentum of an object is given by the product of its mass and velocity. So, the momentum of the truck can be calculated as follows:
Momentum of truck = Mass of truck × Velocity of truck
= 2680 kg × 15 m/s
= 40200 kg·m/s
Since the total momentum before the event is equal to the total momentum after the event, the momentum of the car should be equal to the momentum of the truck:
Momentum of car = Momentum of truck
= 40200 kg·m/s
Now, we can solve for the velocity of the car:
Momentum of car = Mass of car × Velocity of car
40200 kg·m/s = 1340 kg × Velocity of car
To isolate the velocity of the car, we divide both sides of the equation by the mass of the car:
Velocity of car = 40200 kg·m/s / 1340 kg
Simplifying the equation, we get:
Velocity of car ≈ 30 m/s
Therefore, the car must have a velocity of approximately 30 m/s to have the same momentum as the truck.