A golf ball moving forward with 1 unit of momentum strikes and bounces backward off a heavy bowling ball that is initially at rest and free to move. The bowling ball is set in motion with a momentum of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Due to the conservation of momentum, the total momentum before and after the collision must be equal. Since the golf ball bounces backward, it must have reversed its momentum, meaning the bowling ball must have gained more than 1 unit of momentum to conserve the total momentum of the system.

A Golf Ball Moving Forward with 1 Unit of Momentum