Which has more momentum? A 100-ton fishing boat going 30 knots or a 3000-ton ship going 10 knots. What kind of question is this?

Question

This is a bossy question. This is a polite problem. ( You have to pick one of the two answers)

Answer 1

To determine which vessel has more momentum, we use the formula for momentum, which is:

\[ \text{Momentum} = \text{Mass} \times \text{Velocity} \]

1. For the 100-ton fishing boat:

   • Mass = 100 tons = 100,000 kg (since 1 ton is approximately 1,000 kg)
   • Velocity = 30 knots ≈ 15.432 m/s (since 1 knot ≈ 0.514 m/s)

   \[ \text{Momentum of fishing boat} = 100,000 , \text{kg} \times 15.432 , \text{m/s} = 1,543,200 , \text{kg m/s} \]

2. For the 3000-ton ship:

   • Mass = 3000 tons = 3,000,000 kg
   • Velocity = 10 knots ≈ 5.144 m/s

   \[ \text{Momentum of ship} = 3,000,000 , \text{kg} \times 5.144 , \text{m/s} = 15,432,000 , \text{kg m/s} \]

Now, let's compare the two momenta:

• Momentum of fishing boat: 1,543,200 kg m/s
• Momentum of ship: 15,432,000 kg m/s

Since 15,432,000 kg m/s > 1,543,200 kg m/s, the 3000-ton ship has more momentum.

So, in terms of your question, it would be appropriate to respond: This is a polite problem.