Question

During a circus act, a performer thrills the crowd by catching a cannon ball shot at him. The cannon ball has a mass of m1 = 7.5 kg and the horizontal component of its velocity is v = 8.85 m/s when the performer, of mass m2 = 61.5 kg, catches it.

If the performer is on nearly frictionless roller skates, what is his recoil velocity?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

We shall apply law of conservation of momentum .

total Initial momentum =

7.5 x 8.85 = 66.375 kg m / s

total mass = 7.5 + 61.5 = 69 kg , common velocity of ball and performer be v

Total momentum = 69 v

69 v = 66.375

v = 66.375 / 69

= .962 m /s .