Question

A 100kg football player runs at 8(m)/(s) and plows into an 80kg referee standing on the field causing the referee and the player stick together and fly forward. What would the new velocity be?

Answer 1

The new velocity of the player-referee system after the collision is 4.44 m/s in the direction the football player was initially running, calculated using the conservation of momentum.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario described involves a football player running into a referee. The player has a mass of 100 kg and a velocity of 8 m/s, while the referee has a mass of 80 kg and is stationary. We can calculate the new velocity of the player-referee system post-collision using the conservation of momentum principle. The initial momentum of the system can be calculated by multiplying the mass of the football player by his velocity (since the referee is stationary and thus has zero initial momentum). The formula for the initial momentum (pinitial) is: pinitial = massplayer × velocityplayer = 100 kg × 8 m/s = 800 kg·m/s Since momentum is conserved and there are no external forces, the final momentum (pfinal) of the system is equal to the initial momentum. The final velocity (vfinal) can then be obtained by using the formula: pfinal = (massplayer + massreferee) × vfinal. Solving for vfinal: vfinal = pinitial / (massplayer + massreferee). vfinal = 800 kg·m/s / (100 kg + 80 kg). vfinal = 800 kg·m/s / 180 kg. vfinal = 4.44 m/s.Therefore, the new velocity of the system after the collision is 4.44 m/s in the direction the football player was initially running.