Two skaters,both of mass 75 kg,are on skates on a frictionless ice pond.One skater throws a 0.3-kg ball at 5 m/s to his friend,who catches it and throws it back at 5 m/s.When the first skater has caught the returned ball,what is the velocity of each of the two skaters?
A)0.02 m/s,moving apart
B)0.04 m/s,moving apart
C)0.02 m/s,moving towards each other
D)0.04 m/s,moving towards each other

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The momentum of the system is conserved. When the first skater throws the ball, he moves in the opposite direction. When the second skater catches and throws it back, both skaters move apart. The velocity of each skater is calculated using the conservation of momentum, resulting in 0.04 m/s moving apart.

Two Skaters,both of Mass 75 Kg,are on Skates on a Frictionless