a 2000 kg sedan is traveling west at 25m/s. How would the sedan's momentum change if it slowed down to 10 m/s?
Mo = mV = 2000 * 25 = 50,000 = Initial
momentum.
M = 2000 * 10 = 20,000 = Final momentum
To determine how the sedan's momentum would change when it slows down, we need to use the concept of momentum. The momentum of an object is defined as the product of its mass and velocity. Mathematically, it can be represented as:
Momentum = Mass * Velocity
Given that the mass of the sedan is 2000 kg and it is initially traveling west at 25 m/s, we can calculate its initial momentum using the above formula:
Initial momentum = Mass * Initial velocity
= 2000 kg * 25 m/s
= 50,000 kg·m/s (kilogram-meter per second)
To find out how the momentum would change if the sedan slows down to 10 m/s, we can calculate the final momentum.
Final momentum = Mass * Final velocity
= 2000 kg * 10 m/s
= 20,000 kg·m/s (kilogram-meter per second)
The change in momentum can be calculated as the difference between the final momentum and the initial momentum:
Change in momentum = Final momentum - Initial momentum
= 20,000 kg·m/s - 50,000 kg·m/s
= -30,000 kg·m/s (kilogram-meter per second)
So, the sedan's momentum would change by -30,000 kg·m/s (to the east) if it slows down from 25 m/s to 10 m/s. The negative sign in the change indicates that the direction of momentum has reversed.