Question

Thoroughbred horses are among the fastest horses in the world and are used in famous racing events such as the Kentucky Derby. The mass of a thoroughbred is about 500 kg. If a horse with this mass is galloping with a momentum of 8220 kg • m/s, what is its speed?

Answer 1

To find the speed of the horse, we can use the formula that relates momentum (p), mass (m), and speed (v):

\[
p = m \cdot v
\]

where:
- \( p \) is the momentum,
- \( m \) is the mass, and
- \( v \) is the speed.

We can rearrange this formula to solve for speed \( v \):

\[
v = \frac{p}{m}
\]

Given that the mass \( m \) of the horse is 500 kg and the momentum \( p \) is 8220 kg•m/s, we can substitute these values into the equation:

\[
v = \frac{8220 \, \text{kg•m/s}}{500 \, \text{kg}}
\]

Calculating this:

\[
v = 16.44 \, \text{m/s}
\]

Thus, the speed of the horse is approximately **16.44 m/s**.