A 1000-kg whale swims horizontally to the right at a speed of 6.0 m/s. It suddenly collides directly with a stationary seal of mass 200 kg. The seal grabs onto the whale and holds fast. What is the
Momentum of these two sea creatures just after their collision? You can neglect any drag effects of
The water during the collision.
A) $1200 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
B) $7200 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
C) $0.00 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
D) $2000 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
E) $6000 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$

Question

A 1000-kg whale swims horizontally to the right at a speed of 6.0 m/s. It suddenly collides directly with a stationary seal of mass 200 kg. The seal grabs onto the whale and holds fast. What is the
Momentum of these two sea creatures just after their collision? You can neglect any drag effects of
The water during the collision. 
A) $1200 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
B) $7200 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
C) $0.00 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
D) $2000 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$
E) $6000 \mathrm {~kg} \cdot \mathrm { m } / \mathrm { s }$

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The initial momentum of the system is the momentum of the whale, which is $1000 \, \text{kg} \times 6.0 \, \text{m/s} = 6000 \, \text{kg} \cdot \text{m/s}$. Since momentum is conserved, the momentum after the collision is also $6000 \, \text{kg} \cdot \text{m/s}$.

A 1000-Kg Whale Swims Horizontally to the Right at a Speed