A 1-kg chunk of putty moving at 1 m/s collides with and sticks to a 5-kg bowling ball that is initially at rest on a frictionless surface.The speed of the putty thereafter is

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision. Before the collision, the momentum is (1 kg * 1 m/s) + (5 kg * 0 m/s) = 1 kg*m/s. After the collision, the combined mass is 6 kg, so the speed is 1 kg*m/s / 6 kg = 1/6 m/s.

A 1-Kg Chunk of Putty Moving at 1 M/s Collides