Question

A 270 g bird flying along at 5.0 m/s sees a 11 g insect heading straight toward it with a speed of 35 m/s (as measured by an observer on the ground, not by the bird). The bird opens its mouth wide and enjoys a nice lunch.

What is the bird's speed immediately after swallowing?

Answer 1

The bird's speed immediately after swallowing is 6.17 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given that,

Mass of the bird, m = 270 g = 0.27 kg

Initial speed of the bird, u = 5 m/s

Mass of the insect, m' = 11 g = 0.011 kg

Initial speed of the insect, u' = 35 m/s

We need to find the bird's speed immediately after swallowing. Let it is given by V. Using the conservation of momentum as :

`mu+m'u'=(m+m')V\\\\V=(mu+m'u')/((m+m'))\\\\V=(0.27* 5+0.011* 35)/((0.27+0.011))\\\\V=6.17\ m/s`

So, the bird's speed immediately after swallowing is 6.17 m/s.