A 11.4 m long glider with a mass of 670.0 kg (including the passengers) is gliding horizontally through the air at 29.9 m/s when a 60.1 kg skydiver drops out by releasing his grip on the glider. What is the glider's velocity just after the skydiver lets go?
Why would it change?
that`s true..it wouldn`t change.
does that mean that momentum is not conserved
To determine the glider's velocity just after the skydiver lets go, we can apply the principle of conservation of momentum.
The total momentum before the skydiver lets go is equal to the total momentum after. The momentum of an object is calculated as the product of its mass and velocity.
Before the skydiver lets go, the glider's momentum is given by:
Momentum of glider = mass of glider × velocity of glider
After the skydiver lets go, the glider's momentum is still the same, but its mass and velocity will change.
The mass of the glider includes the passengers, so we need to subtract the mass of the skydiver from the total mass of the glider:
Mass of glider (after skydiver lets go) = mass of glider (before) - mass of skydiver
To find the glider's velocity after the skydiver lets go, we can rearrange the equation:
Velocity of glider (after skydiver lets go) = Momentum of glider (before) / Mass of glider (after skydiver lets go)
Let's calculate it step by step:
1. Calculate the momentum of the glider before the skydiver lets go:
Momentum of glider (before) = mass of glider × velocity of glider
Momentum of glider (before) = 670.0 kg × 29.9 m/s
2. Calculate the mass of the glider after the skydiver lets go:
Mass of glider (after skydiver lets go) = mass of glider (before) - mass of skydiver
Mass of glider (after skydiver lets go) = 670.0 kg - 60.1 kg
3. Calculate the velocity of the glider after the skydiver lets go:
Velocity of glider (after skydiver lets go) = Momentum of glider (before) / Mass of glider (after skydiver lets go)
Now, let's plug in the values and compute:
Momentum of glider (before) = 670.0 kg × 29.9 m/s
Mass of glider (after skydiver lets go) = 670.0 kg - 60.1 kg
Velocity of glider (after skydiver lets go) = (670.0 kg × 29.9 m/s) / (670.0 kg - 60.1 kg)
By performing the calculation, we can determine the glider's velocity just after the skydiver lets go.