Question

Nate and Tom are skating on a pond and collide into each other. Tom has twice the mass that Nate has. Who experiences the greater magnitude of impulse?

a. Tom
b. It would depend on who is traveling faster right before the collision.
c. They both experience the same magnitude of impulse.
d. Nate

Answer 1

Tom will experience a greater magnitude of impulse due to his greater mass.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a collision, the magnitude of the impulse experienced by an object is equal to the change in momentum of the object. Momentum is calculated by multiplying an object's mass by its velocity. Since Tom has twice the mass of Nate, he has more momentum. Therefore, Tom will experience a greater magnitude of impulse.