Final answer:
The question asks to find the new velocity of a shopping cart when additional mass is added, using the principle of conservation of momentum in physics. To solve it, we first calculate the initial momentum, then divide that by the new total mass after the additional mass is added to find the final velocity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves the concept of conservation of momentum in physics, which is generally taught at the high school level.
When the 35.0 kg of 'Kanye for President' signs fall into the cart, the total mass of the cart increases, but the total momentum of the system must remain the same because there are no external forces acting on it. Initially, Kanye West and the cart have a momentum calculated by multiplying the mass of the cart (145.0 kg) by the velocity at which it is traveling (4.65 m/s).
The momentum before the signs fall in is pinitial = massinitial × velocityinitial = 145.0 kg × 4.65 m/s.
After the signs fall into the cart, the new total mass is the sum of the initial mass and the mass of the signs. The new total mass is massfinal = 145.0 kg + 35.0 kg.
To find the new velocity, we use the conservation of momentum principle where: pinitial = pfinal
velocityfinal = pinitial / massfinal.
Therefore, we can calculate the new velocity of Kanye and the shopping cart after the signs are added. This answers the student's question and helps them understand the relationship between mass, velocity, and momentum.