A football kick returner catches the ball just as a player from the opposing team dives to tackle him. At the time of impact, the returner's momentum is 0 kg-m/s, and the diving player's momentum is 130 kg-m/s. What will the magnitude of the total momentum be just after the collision? (1 point)

• 260 kg-m/s
• 65 kg-m/s
• 130 kg-m/s
• 0 kg-m/s

1 answer

The total momentum of a system before an event must be equal to the total momentum of the system after the event, according to the law of conservation of momentum.

In this scenario:

  • The momentum of the kick returner when he catches the ball is 0 kg-m/s.
  • The momentum of the diving player is 130 kg-m/s.

To find the total momentum before the collision, we can add the momenta of both players:

\[ \text{Total momentum before} = \text{momentum of returner} + \text{momentum of diving player} = 0 \text{ kg-m/s} + 130 \text{ kg-m/s} = 130 \text{ kg-m/s} \]

Since momentum is conserved, the total momentum just after the collision will also be:

\[ \text{Total momentum after} = 130 \text{ kg-m/s} \]

Thus, the magnitude of the total momentum just after the collision will be 130 kg-m/s.

The correct answer is: • 130 kg-m/s