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Two ice skaters, Paula and Ricardo, push off from each
Chapter 9, Problem 14CQ(choose chapter or problem)
Problem 14CQ
Two ice skaters, Paula and Ricardo, push off from each other. Ricardo weighs more than Paula.
a. Which skater, if either, has the greater momentum after the push-off? Explain.
b. Which skater, if either, has the greater speed after the push-off? Explain.
Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
Problem 14CQ
Two ice skaters, Paula and Ricardo, push off from each other. Ricardo weighs more than Paula.
a. Which skater, if either, has the greater momentum after the push-off? Explain.
b. Which skater, if either, has the greater speed after the push-off? Explain.
ANSWER:
Step 1 of 2
Part (a)
Our aim is to find the person with greater momentum.
Assume that the skaters are initially at rest. The total momentum before the push-off is zero. As
they push off from each other, the momentum of the people will be conserved. Therefore the final total momentum must be equal to the initial total momentum.
\(0=m_{p} v_{p}-m_{r} v_{r}\)
Where \(m_{T}\) is the mass of Ricardo and \(m_{p}\) is the mass of Paula. And \(v_{r}\) and \(v_{p}\) are the speeds of them respectively. (negative sign indicated that the direction is opposite)