Astronauts are playing baseball on the International Space Station.One astronaut with a mass of 60.0 kg,initially at rest,hits a baseball with a bat.The baseball was initially coming toward the astronaut at 30.0 m/s and after the ball is hit,the ball travels in the opposite direction with a speed of 50.0 m/s.The mass of a baseball is 0.120 kg.The recoil velocity of the astronaut is
A)0.224 m/s.
B)0.160 m/s.
C)0.356 m/s.
D)0.478 m/s.
E)0.552 m/s.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using the conservation of momentum, the initial momentum of the system is the momentum of the baseball: (0.120 kg)(30.0 m/s). The final momentum is the sum of the momentum of the baseball and the astronaut. Solving for the astronaut's velocity gives 0.160 m/s.

Astronauts Are Playing Baseball on the International Space Station