Question

Which has more momentum? A 100 ton fishing boat going 30 knots or a 3000 ton ship going 10 knots.ResponsesThis is a bossy question.This is a bossy question.This is a polite problem.

Answer 1

To compare the momentum of the two vessels, we can use the formula for momentum, which is:

\[
\text{Momentum} = \text{mass} \times \text{velocity}
\]

**For the fishing boat:**
- Mass = 100 tons = 100,000 kg (since 1 ton = 1,000 kg)
- Velocity = 30 knots = 30 × 0.51444 m/s = 15.432 m/s (approximately)

Calculating the momentum of the fishing boat:
\[
\text{Momentum}_{\text{boat}} = 100,000 \, \text{kg} \times 15.432 \, \text{m/s} \approx 1,543,200 \, \text{kg m/s}
\]

**For the larger ship:**
- Mass = 3000 tons = 3,000,000 kg
- Velocity = 10 knots = 10 × 0.51444 m/s = 5.1444 m/s (approximately)

Calculating the momentum of the larger ship:
\[
\text{Momentum}_{\text{ship}} = 3,000,000 \, \text{kg} \times 5.1444 \, \text{m/s} \approx 15,433,200 \, \text{kg m/s}
\]

**Comparison:**
- Momentum of the fishing boat: \( \approx 1,543,200 \, \text{kg m/s} \)
- Momentum of the larger ship: \( \approx 15,433,200 \, \text{kg m/s} \)

Thus, the 3000-ton ship going 10 knots has significantly more momentum than the 100-ton fishing boat going 30 knots.