Two basketball players collide. Player 1, with a mass of 55.0 kg, experience a -15.6 m/s2 acceleration. If player 2 has a mass of 48.5 kg, what acceleration did he experience immediately following the collision?

To find the acceleration experienced by player 2, we can use the principle of conservation of momentum. According to this principle, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.

The momentum of an object is given by the product of its mass and velocity. Mathematically, momentum (p) is calculated as p = m * v, where m is the mass and v is the velocity.

Let's denote the velocity of player 1 before the collision as v1i, the velocity of player 2 before the collision as v2i, the velocity of player 1 after the collision as v1f, and the velocity of player 2 after the collision as v2f.

Since there are no external forces acting on the system of the two players, the total momentum before the collision is zero. Therefore, we can say that:

(m1 * v1i) + (m2 * v2i) = 0

Where m1 and m2 are the masses of player 1 and player 2, respectively.

Solving this equation for v1i, we get:

v1i = (-m2 * v2i) / m1

Now, we need to apply Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration. Mathematically, F = m * a, where F is the force, m is the mass, and a is the acceleration.

We know that player 1 experienced an acceleration of -15.6 m/s^2. Therefore, we can say:

F1 = m1 * a1
-15.6 * m1 = F1

Similarly, the force experienced by player 2 is given by:

F2 = m2 * a2

Since the forces are in opposite directions, we can say that:

F1 = -F2

So, we have:

-15.6 * m1 = m2 * a2

Now, we can substitute the value of v1i in terms of v2i:

-15.6 * m1 = m2 * (v2f - v2i) / m1

Simplifying the equation, we get:

-15.6 = (m2 / m1) * (v2f - v2i)

Finally, solving for v2f, we get:

v2f = v2i - (15.6 * m1) / m2

Substituting the given values, we find:

v2f = v2i - (15.6 * 55.0) / 48.5

Calculating this expression, we can determine the acceleration experienced by player 2 immediately following the collision.

p1 exerts the same force on p2 that p2 exerts on p1

f = m a ... m1 a1 = m2 a2