Question

A baseball on a T-ball stand has no momentum until it is hit with a bat. When Tyler swings the bat, it has a momentum of 12 kg m/s. After the bat hits the ball, the ball has a momentum of 8 kg m/s. What is the momentum of the bat AFTER it hits the ball

Answer 1

positive direction : bat swing

total momentum before = after
12(bat) + 0(ball) = 8(ball) + bat-after

bat-after is positive then direction is the same

Answer 2

4 kg m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the Law of Conservation of Momentum, the total momentum must be the same before and after a collision. The total momentum before the bat hit the ball was 12 kg m/s. After the collision, the ball has a momentum of 8 kg m/s. Therefore, the bat must have a momentum of 4 kg m/s.