Get Updates
Subscribe to receive instant notifications for new study materials and important updates.
An object of mass 1 kg travelling in a straight line with a ve... - Science
An object of mass 1 kg travelling in a straight line with a velocity of 10 m s⁻¹ collides with, and sticks to, a stationary wooden block of mass 5 kg. Then they both move off together in the same straight line. Calculate the total momentum just before the impact and just after the impact. Also, calculate the velocity of the combined object.
The calculations:
Total momentum just before the impact:
Momentum of the object (m1) = mass * velocity = 1 kg * 10 m/s = 10 kg m/s
Momentum of the wooden block (m2) = mass * velocity = 5 kg * 0 m/s = 0 kg m/s (since it's stationary)
Total momentum just before impact = 10 kg m/s + 0 kg m/s = 10 kg m/s
Total momentum just after the impact:
According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum just before the impact is equal to the total momentum just after the impact (assuming no external forces).
Therefore, the total momentum just after impact = 10 kg m/s
Velocity of the combined object:
After impact, the object and the wooden block stick together, forming a combined mass.
Combined mass (M) = 1 kg + 5 kg = 6 kg
Let the velocity of the combined object be V.
Total momentum after impact = Combined mass * V
10 kg m/s = 6 kg * V
V = 10 kg m/s / 6 kg
V ≈ 1.67 m/s