In a closed system, the law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum before a collision must equal the total momentum after the collision.
In this scenario:
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Before the collision, the total momentum is the momentum of the 3 kg ball (24 kg·m/s) plus the momentum of the 1 kg ball (which is at rest, so its momentum is 0). Therefore, the total initial momentum is 24 kg·m/s + 0 = 24 kg·m/s.
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After the collision, the momentum of the balls will change due to the interaction during the collision, but the total momentum of the system (the combined momentum of both balls) will remain 24 kg·m/s.
Based on this information, the correct statement is:
The momentum of each ball changes, and the total momentum stays the same.
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