Question

A billiard ball moves with 3 kg⋅m/s
of momentum and strikes three other billiard balls. What is the total momentum of the balls after the collision?(1 point)
Responses

3 kg⋅m/s
3 kilograms times meters per second

It depends on the mass of each ball.
It depends on the mass of each ball.

less than 3 kg⋅m/s
less than 3 kilograms times meters per second

more than 3 kg⋅m/s

Answer 1

According to the principle of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of a closed system before and after a collision remains constant, provided no external forces are acting on it.

In this case, the total momentum before the collision is \(3 \, \text{kg⋅m/s}\). After the collision, regardless of how the momentum is distributed among the balls, the total momentum of all the balls (including the original moving ball and the three struck balls) will still be \(3 \, \text{kg⋅m/s}\).

So, the correct response is:

**3 kg⋅m/s**.