A 4.5 kg ham is thrown into a stationary 15 kg shopping cart. At what speed will the cart travel if the ham had an initial speed of 2.2 m/s ? If the ham hits the cart with 2N of force, how long did the collision between the two last?

I know u use the formula v=p/m

1 answer

Momentum is conserved, if the ham is thrown from front or back and the wheels are frictionless and have zero moment of intertia. The answer depends upon the direction from which the ham is thrown. If the ham is thrown from the side, the wheels will apply a lateral force and momentum will not be conserved, but the cart may tip over.

This is a poorly defined problem.