Two 1.5 kg balls move away from each
other, one traveling 9 m/s to the right, the
other 2 m/s to the left.
What is the magnitude of the total momen-
tum of the system?
Answer in units of kg · m/s
To find the magnitude of the total momentum of the system, we need to calculate the momentum of each ball and then add them together.
Momentum (p) is calculated by multiplying the mass (m) of an object by its velocity (v).
For the first ball (moving to the right):
Mass (m1) = 1.5 kg
Velocity (v1) = 9 m/s
p1 = m1 * v1
For the second ball (moving to the left):
Mass (m2) = 1.5 kg
Velocity (v2) = -2 m/s (negative because it is moving to the left)
p2 = m2 * v2
To find the total momentum (ptotal), we add the individual momenta together:
ptotal = p1 + p2
Finally, we take the magnitude of the total momentum to get the absolute value:
Magnitude of total momentum = |ptotal|
Let's calculate it.
p1 = 1.5 kg * 9 m/s = 13.5 kg · m/s
p2 = 1.5 kg * -2 m/s = -3 kg · m/s
ptotal = 13.5 kg · m/s + (-3 kg · m/s) = 10.5 kg · m/s
Therefore, the magnitude of the total momentum of the system is 10.5 kg · m/s.