A 90-kg halfback running north with a speed of 11 m/s is tackled by a 125-kg opponent running south at 5 m/s.The collision is perfectly inelastic.Compute the velocity of the two players just after the tackle.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a perfectly inelastic collision, momentum is conserved. The total momentum before the collision is (90 kg * 11 m/s) - (125 kg * 5 m/s) = 985 kg*m/s north. The combined mass is 215 kg. The velocity after collision is 985 kg*m/s / 215 kg = 4.58 m/s north.

A 90-Kg Halfback Running North with a Speed of 11