A 9kg mass travelling eastwards at 4m.-1 collides with a 3kg mass westwards at 8m.-1.whatis the total momentum of the masses?
To find the total momentum of the masses, we need to calculate the individual momenta for each mass and then add them together.
The momentum of an object is calculated by multiplying its mass (m) by its velocity (v):
Momentum = mass × velocity
Let's calculate the momentum for the 9kg mass first:
Mass of the first object (m₁) = 9kg
Velocity of the first object (v₁) = 4m/s
Momentum of the first object (p₁) = m₁ × v₁ = 9kg × 4m/s = 36 kg·m/s
Now, let's calculate the momentum for the 3kg mass:
Mass of the second object (m₂) = 3kg
Velocity of the second object (v₂) = -8m/s (negative because it is moving in the opposite direction)
Momentum of the second object (p₂) = m₂ × v₂ = 3kg × (-8m/s) = -24 kg·m/s
Finally, we can find the total momentum by adding the individual momenta together:
Total momentum = p₁ + p₂ = 36 kg·m/s + (-24 kg·m/s) = 12 kg·m/s
Therefore, the total momentum of the masses is 12 kg·m/s.