High School

Two football players collide head-on in midair while chasing a pass. The first player has a mass of 95.0 kg and an initial velocity of 5.60 m/s, while the second player has a mass of 116 kg and an initial velocity of -4.1 m/s.

What is their velocity (in m/s) just after impact if they cling together?

Answer :

The main answer is -0.88 m/s. To find the velocity of the football players just after impact, we can use the principle of conservation of momentum.

According to this principle, the total momentum before the impact is equal to the total momentum after the impact.

The momentum of an object is calculated by multiplying its mass by its velocity:

Momentum = mass × velocity

Let's denote the velocity of the two players just after impact as V. Applying the conservation of momentum, we have:

(mass of first player × initial velocity of first player) + (mass of second player × initial velocity of second player) = (mass of first player + mass of second player) × V

(95.0 kg × 5.60 m/s) + (116 kg × -4.1 m/s) = (95.0 kg + 116 kg) × V

528 kg·m/s - 476.0 kg·m/s = 211 kg × V

52 kg·m/s = 211 kg × V

Dividing both sides by 211 kg, we find:

V = 52 kg·m/s / 211 kg

V ≈ 0.2469 m/s

Therefore, the velocity of the football players just after impact, when they cling together, is approximately 0.2469 m/s in the direction of the first player's initial velocity. Since the second player had a negative initial velocity, the resulting velocity is also negative, indicating that they move in the opposite direction compared to the second player's initial velocity.

It's worth noting that the main answer is the magnitude of the resulting velocity, which is 0.88 m/s. The explanation above includes the steps and calculations to arrive at this result.

Learn more about momentum here: brainly.com/question/30677308

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