Question

An OSU linebacker of mass 110.0 kg sacks a UM quarterback of mass 85.0 kg. Just after they collide, they are momentarily stuck together, and both are moving at a speed of 2.60 m/s. If the quarterback was at rest just before he was sacked, how fast was the linebacker moving just before the collision

Answer 1

The initial speed of the linebacker just before the collision was 4.6 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mass of OSU linebacker, m = 110 kg

Mass of UM quarterback, m' = 85 kg

Just after they collide, they are momentarily stuck together, the common speed is, V = 2.6 m/s

Initial speed of quarterback is 0 as it was at rest initially, u' = 0

Let u was the initial speed of the linebacker just before the collision. As they struck together, the momentum remains conserved. So,

`mu+m'u'=(m+m')V\\\\mu=(m+m')V\\\\u=((m+m')V)/(m)\\\\u=((110+85)* 2.6)/(110)\\\\u=4.6\ m/s`

So, the initial speed of the linebacker just before the collision was 4.6 m/s.