A basketball has a mass of 1 kg and is traveling 12 m/s.

What would happen to the velocity if the momentum of the basketball were cut in half

1 answer

If the momentum of the basketball were cut in half, the velocity would also be cut in half.

The momentum of an object is given by the equation:

Momentum = mass x velocity

Let's assume the initial momentum of the basketball is p.

So p = mass x velocity

If the momentum is cut in half, the new momentum would be p/2.

Therefore, p/2 = mass x new velocity

Since the mass is constant (1 kg), we can rewrite the equation as:

p/2 = 1 kg x new velocity

To find the new velocity, we isolate it:

new velocity = p/2 kg

So if the momentum of the basketball is cut in half, the new velocity would be half of the initial velocity (12 m/s).

Therefore, the new velocity would be 6 m/s.