Question

a canoeist at a lake throws a 0.145 kg ball at 20.0 m/s to a friend in a different canoe. Each canoe with its contents has a mass of 120 kg, and is at rest initially. How fast is the first canoe moving after the pitch assuming there is no water friction?

Answer 1

The problem above may be solved through the concept of conservation of momentum such that,
m₁v₁ = m₂v₂
Substituting the given from the problem above,
(0.145 kg)(20 m/s) = (0.145 kg + 120 kg)(v₂)
v₂ = 0.024 m/s
Therefore, the answer is 0.024 m/s.