Question

A strong man is compressing a lightweight spring between two weights. One weight has a mass of 2.3 kg , the other a mass of 5.3 kg . He is holding the weights stationary, but then he loses his grip and the weights fly off in opposite directions. The lighter of the two is shot out at a speed of 6.0 m/s .

What is the speed of the heavier weight?

Answer 1

To solve this problem we will apply the concepts related to the conservation of momentum. For this purpose we have that the initial momentum must be equivalent to the final momentum of the system. Mathematically this can be expressed as

`m_1v_1 = m_2v_2`

Here,

`m_(1,2)` = Mass of each object

`v_(1,2)`= Velocity of each object

Rearranging to find the speed of the heavier weight,

`v_2 = (m_1v_1)/(m_2)`

`v_2 = ((2.3)(6))/(5.3)`

`v_2 = 2.6m/s`

Therefore the speed of the heavier weight is 2.6m/s