A 100 kg football linebacker moving at 2 m/s tackles head-on an 80 kg halfback running 3 m/s. Neglecting the effects due to digging in of cleats
A) the linebacker will drive the halfback backward.
B) the halfback will drive the linebacker backward.
C) neither player will drive the other backward.
D) this is a simple example of an elastic collision.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The momentum of the halfback (80 kg * 3 m/s = 240 kg*m/s) is greater than the momentum of the linebacker (100 kg * 2 m/s = 200 kg*m/s), so the halfback will drive the linebacker backward.

A 100 Kg Football Linebacker Moving at 2 M/s Tackles