A 95 kg fullback is running at 7.5 m/s to the east and is stopped by a head-on tackle by a tackler running due west a 12.4 m/s. What is the mass of the tackler?
Conservation of momentum
momentumEast-momentumWest=0
calculate the mass of the guy going west.
He/she may need a little bit more help if he/she needed to ask the question. MV+MV=0 so, (95Kg)(7.5m/s) + M(12.4m/s) =0, rearrange and solve. M=[(95Kg)(7.5m/s)]/(12.4m/s).
To find the mass of the tackler, we can apply the principles of conservation of momentum. Momentum is a physical property of an object and is defined as the product of its mass and velocity. When two objects collide, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, assuming there are no external forces acting on the system.
Let's denote the mass of the fullback as M1 (95 kg) and the mass of the tackler as M2 (which we need to find). We're given that the fullback is running at a velocity of 7.5 m/s to the east and is stopped by a head-on tackle by the tackler running due west at a velocity of 12.4 m/s.
First, we need to determine the initial momentum and the final momentum of the system.
The initial momentum (before the collision) is given by:
Initial momentum = (Mass of fullback) * (Velocity of fullback)
Final momentum (after the collision) is given by:
Final momentum = (Mass of fullback) * (Final velocity of fullback) + (Mass of tackler) * (Final velocity of tackler)
Since the fullback is stopped after the collision, the final velocity of the fullback is zero (0 m/s). Thus, the equation for the final momentum can be simplified to:
Final momentum = (Mass of tackler) * (Final velocity of tackler)
Applying the conservation of momentum principle, we equate the initial momentum to the final momentum:
(Mass of fullback) * (Velocity of fullback) = (Mass of tackler) * (Final velocity of tackler)
Now we can plug in the given values and solve for the mass of the tackler:
(95 kg) * (7.5 m/s) = (Mass of tackler) * (12.4 m/s)
Simplifying the equation:
712.5 kg*m/s = (Mass of tackler) * (12.4 m/s)
To solve for the mass of the tackler, we can divide both sides of the equation by 12.4 m/s:
(Mass of tackler) = 712.5 kg*m/s / 12.4 m/s
Calculating the mass of the tackler:
(Mass of tackler) ≈ 57.6 kg
Therefore, the mass of the tackler is approximately 57.6 kg.