Question

An ice skater at rest on ice catches a dance partner moving 1.5 m/s during a performance. The ice skater has a mass of 75 kg and the dance partner has a mass of 50 kg. What is the speed of the ice skater and dance partner after the collision? (Show your work)

Answer 1

The speed of the ice skater and dance partner after the collision is 0.75 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

First, we need to apply the conservation of momentum principle. The total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.

Let's denote the speed of the ice skater as 'v'.

Before the collision:

Momentum of the ice skater = (mass of the ice skater) * (speed of the ice skater)

Momentum of the dance partner = (mass of the dance partner) * (speed of the dance partner)

After the collision:

Momentum of the ice skater and dance partner = (mass of the ice skater + mass of the dance partner) * (speed of the ice skater and dance partner after the collision)

Using the given information, we can set up an equation:

(75 kg * 0 m/s) + (50 kg * 1.5 m/s) = (75 kg + 50 kg) * v

Solving for 'v', we find that the speed of the ice skater and dance partner after the collision is 0.75 m/s.