Question

A car has a mass of 1.20 × 103 kilograms and a momentum of 2.00 × 104 kilogram meters/second. What is the velocity of the car?

Answer 1

Formula for momentum:
P = 1/2(m)(v^2)

Sub in givens
(2.00 x 10^4) = 1/2 x (1.20 x 10^3) (v ^2)
rearrange and you get
\[v = \sqrt{ 2*(20000 / 1200)}\]

Answer 2

Alrighty Ms. SmartyPants, so my answer is 5.77 m/s? Or am I wrong? @biggi3lue

Answer 3

Perfect! Well done.
Now, with this knowledge you can estimate how fast something will be moving after a car crash! The only thing you need to account for is the cars crumple zone which absorbs the momentum energy. But for something like a tennis ball, if it were to somehow magically absorb all the momentum, it would travel something like 1000kilometres/second! WOW

Answer 4

Dang!(: Thank you! @biggi3lue