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Biker A weighs 84 kg and is biking at 2 m/s and collides with biker B who weighs 82 kg and is biking at 1 m/s. What is biker B’s momentum after colliding with each other?

a) The momenta of Biker A and Biker B before the collision are compared.
b) The combined momentum of Biker A and Biker B is determined.
c) The final momentum of Biker B is calculated after the collision.
d) The effects of momentum in a collision are explained.

User Dsegleau
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Final answer:

The momentum of Biker B after the collision cannot be determined without additional information about the interaction during the collision, such as whether it is elastic or inelastic and the resulting velocities. The conservation of momentum principle is used to understand the effects of the collision on both bikers.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine Biker B's momentum after colliding with Biker A, we need to consider the law of conservation of momentum which states that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant provided no external forces are acting on it. First, we calculate the initial momenta of Biker A (84 kg × 2 m/s) and Biker B (82 kg × 1 m/s). Next, we determine the combined momentum of the two bikers by adding their initial momenta together. Finally, to find Biker B's momentum after the collision, we need additional information on how the two bikers interact during the collision, usually provided by the problem or inferred through additional data, such as final velocities or the type of collision (elastic or inelastic).

Without additional information, we cannot determine the final momentum of Biker B post-collision, as that data is not given. We could explain the effects of momentum in a collision by saying that, in an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. In an inelastic collision, momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is not. For a completely inelastic collision, both bikers would stick together and move with a common velocity after the collision.

User Michael Hornfeck
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