A basketball has a mass of 1 kg and is traveling 12 m/s.
What would happen to the velocity if the momentum of the basketball were cut in half
If the momentum of the basketball were cut in half, the velocity would also be cut in half.
The momentum of an object is given by the equation:
Momentum = mass x velocity
Let's assume the initial momentum of the basketball is p.
So p = mass x velocity
If the momentum is cut in half, the new momentum would be p/2.
Therefore, p/2 = mass x new velocity
Since the mass is constant (1 kg), we can rewrite the equation as:
p/2 = 1 kg x new velocity
To find the new velocity, we isolate it:
new velocity = p/2 kg
So if the momentum of the basketball is cut in half, the new velocity would be half of the initial velocity (12 m/s).
Therefore, the new velocity would be 6 m/s.