Question

Two joggers are running together. One has 40 kg of mass while the other has 60 kg of

mass. Initially they are running 1 m/s, however they speed up to a final velocity of 3 m/s.
What is the change in total momentum of the system?

Answer 1

The total change in momentum of the system where two joggers increase their velocity from 1 m/s to 3 m/s is 200 kg·m/s in the direction of their motion.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about the concept of momentum in physics and how to calculate the change in total momentum of a system when two objects within that system change their velocities. Since both joggers are speeding up from 1 m/s to 3 m/s, we calculate the change in momentum for each jogger separately and then add them together to find the total change in momentum for the system.

For the 40 kg jogger: Δp = m(vf − vi) = 40 kg (3 m/s − 1 m/s) = 80 kg·m/s

For the 60 kg jogger: Δp = m(vf − vi) = 60 kg (3 m/s − 1 m/s) = 120 kg·m/s

Adding these together, the total change in momentum of the system is 80 kg·m/s + 120 kg·m/s = 200 kg·m/s in the direction of the joggers' motion.