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If a 5kg object slows down from 13 m/s to 5 m/s in 2s, its change in momentum is negative.

a) True
b) False

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The statement that a 5kg object experiencing a slowdown from 13 m/s to 5 m/s over 2s has a negative change in momentum is true. Momentum is a vector, and a decrease in velocity while mass remains constant yields a negative change in momentum.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a 5kg object slows down from 13 m/s to 5 m/s in 2s, the statement that its change in momentum is negative is true. Momentum, which is the product of an object's mass and velocity, is a vector quantity. This means it has both magnitude and direction. When the object slows down, this indicates that the final velocity is less than the initial velocity, causing a negative change in velocity. Since the direction of the momentum remains the same and the velocity decreases, the overall change in momentum is negative.

The initial momentum is 5kg * 13m/s = 65kg m/s, and the final momentum is 5kg * 5m/s = 25kg m/s. The change in momentum is the final momentum minus the initial momentum, which is 25kg m/s - 65kg m/s = -40kg m/s. A negative result represents a reduction in momentum.