Morris,who is listed at 215 lbs (97.6 kg),throws a juiced-up medicine ball with a speed of 7.0 m/s toward Mateen,who is standing still but wearing a pair of roller blades.Mateen is listed at 195 lbs.(88.5 kg),while the medicine ball has a mass of about 40 lbs.(18.2 kg).At what speed does Mateen roll away once he catches the ball?
A)0.9 m/s
B)1.2 m/s
C)1.8 m/s
D)2.2 m/s
E)2.9 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To solve this problem, we use the principle of conservation of momentum. The total momentum before the catch is equal to the total momentum after the catch. Before the catch, only the medicine ball is moving, so the initial momentum is the mass of the ball times its velocity. After the catch, both Mateen and the ball are moving together, so the final momentum is the combined mass of Mateen and the ball times their shared velocity.Initial momentum = mass of ball × velocity of ball = 18.2 kg × 7.0 m/s = 127.4 kg·m/s.Combined mass of Mateen and the ball = 88.5 kg + 18.2 kg = 106.7 kg.Let $v$ be the final velocity of Mateen and the ball. The conservation of momentum principle gives us:$$127.4 = 106.7 \times v$$Solving for $v$, we get:$$v = \frac{127.4}{106.7} \approx 1.2 \, \text{m/s}$$Therefore, Mateen rolls away at a speed of approximately 1.2 m/s after catching the ball.

Morris,who Is Listed at 215 Lbs (97