Question

The diagram shows two balls before they collide.

2 balls with grey arrows pointing to them from the outside. The left ball has below it m subscript 1 = 0.6 kilograms v subscript 1 = 0.5 meters per second. The right ball has below it m subscript 2 = 0.5 kilograms v subscript 2 = negative 0.2 meters per second.
What is the momentum of the system after the collision?

0.0 kg • m/s
0.2 kg • m/s
0.3 kg • m/s
0.4 kg • m/s

Answer 1

Momentum is conserved, so total momentum after = before:

p = m1v1 + m2v2 = (0.6)(0.5) + (0.5)(-0.2) = 0.30 - 0.10 = 0.20 kg·m/s.

Answer: 0.2 kg·m/s.