A hockey puck is sliding on frictionless ice. It slams against the wall and bounces back toward the player with the same speed that it had before hitting the wall. Does the velocity of the hockey puck change in this process? Explain.
yes when it bounces off the wall
b,kv
In order to understand whether the velocity of the hockey puck changes when it bounces off the wall, we need to consider the concept of velocity and the laws of physics at play in this scenario.
Velocity is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude (speed) and direction. In this case, the question states that the puck bounces back with the same speed as before hitting the wall. However, if the direction of the puck changes upon bouncing, then the velocity will change since velocity takes into account both speed and direction.
So, to determine whether the velocity changes, we need to examine the direction of the hockey puck's motion.
When the puck is moving towards the wall, it has a certain velocity vector, let's say it is moving to the right. Upon impact, the puck rebounds and moves back towards the player. Since the direction changes from right to left, the velocity has changed. Therefore, the velocity of the puck does change in this process.
However, it is important to note that the magnitude of the velocity (speed) remains the same. This is because the question specifically mentions that the puck bounces back with the same speed it had before hitting the wall.
In summary, while the magnitude (speed) of the velocity remains constant, the direction of the puck changes when it bounces off the wall, and hence the velocity changes as well.