Nate the Skate was an avid physics student whose main non-physics interest in li

Question

Nate the Skate was an avid physics student whose main non-physics interest in life was high-speed skateboarding. In particular, Nate would often don a protective suit of Bounce-Tex, which he invented, after working up a high speed on his skateboard, would collide with some object. In this way, he got a gut feel for the physical properties of collisions and succeeded in combining his two passions.* On one occasion, the Skate, with a mass of 111 kg, including his armor, hurled himself against a 833-kg stationary statue of Isaac Newton in a perfectly elastic linear collision. As a result, Isaac started moving at 1.61 m/s and Nate bounced backward. What were Nate's speeds immediately before and after the collision? (Enter positive numbers.) Ignore friction with the ground. Before: By the way this brief bio of Nate the Skate is written in the past tense, because not long ago ho forgot to put in his Bounce- Tex before colliding with the Washington Monument in a perfectly inelastic collision. We will miss him.

Explanation / Answer

Here ,

m1 = 111 Kg

m2 = 833 Kg

u1 = ?

u2 = 0 m/s

v1 = ?

v2 = 1.61 m/s

Using conservation of momentum

111 * u1 = 111 * v1 + 833 * 1.61 -----(1)

as the collision is elastic

u1 = 1.61 - v1 ----(2)

solving for 1 and 2

u1 = 6.85 m/s

v1 = -5.24 m/s

the speed of 111 Kg before collision is 6.85 m/s

speed of 111 Kg after collision is -5.24 m/s

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse N
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.