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A small rock bounces off the windshield of a moving car and experiences a large change invelocity. How does the car’s momentum change?

(1 point)
It has a change in momentum greater than that of the rock, in the opposite direction.
It does not change.
It has a much smaller change in momentum than that of the rock, in the opposite direction.
It has a change in momentum equal to that of the rock, in the opposite direction.
A)

1 answer

The correct answer is:

It has a change in momentum equal to that of the rock, in the opposite direction.

According to the law of conservation of momentum, when two objects interact (like the rock and the car), the total momentum before the interaction is equal to the total momentum after the interaction. Since the forces are equal and opposite (Newton's third law), the changes in momentum for the rock and the car will be equal in magnitude but opposite in direction.