A 15 kg blob of "space clay" moving at a speed of 3 m/s collides with a 12.5 kg blob of "space clay" at rest. They stick together after colliding. What is their new speed?
What formula is used, and how do you solve this?
Answer (2)
Use the principle of conservation of momentum ... momentum after the collision is equal to the momentum before it.
Momentum = (mass) x (speed) .
Momentum before the collision: Big blob . . . (15) x (3) = 45 kg-m/s Little blob . . (12.5) x (0) = zero. Total . . . . . . 45 kg-m/s
Momentum after they meet and stick: Combined blob . . . (15+12.5) x (speed)
Momentum after = momentum before:
(27.5) x speed = 45 kg-m/s
Divide each side by 27.5 :
Speed = 45 / 27.5 = 1.636 m/s (rounded)
To find the new speed of the combined blobs of space clay after they collide, we use the conservation of momentum principle. The total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, resulting in a new speed of approximately 1.64 m/s for the combined mass. This is calculated using the formula for momentum: mass times speed.
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