Question

Spaceship 1 and spaceship 2 have equal masses of 200 kg. Spaceship 1 has a speed of 0 m/s, and spaceship 2 has a speed of 10 m/s. What is the magnitude of their combined momentum

Answer 1

2000 kg m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

The momentum of an object is a vector quantity whose magnitude is given by

`p=mv`

where

m is the mass of the object

v is the velocity of the object

and its direction is the same as the velocity.

In this problem, we have:

- Spaceship 1 has

m = 200 kg (mass)

v = 0 m/s (zero velocity)

So its momentum is

`p_1 =(200)(0)=0`

- Spaceship 2 has

m = 200 kg (mass)

v = 10 m/s (velocity)

So its momentum is

`p_2=(200)(10)=2000 kg m/s`

Therefore, the combined momentum of the two spaceships is

`p=p_1+p_2=0+2000=2000 kg m/s`