Two kayaks on the lake: Calculating Momentum

What is the momentum of each kayak after one is pushed?

After one kayak is pushed with a force of 46 N for 1.2 seconds, what is the momentum of each kayak?

What is the total momentum of the system?

After the push, what is the total momentum of the system?

Momentum of each kayak:

The momentum of the kayak that was pushed is 55.2 kg·m/s, calculated by multiplying the force (46 N) by the time (1.2 seconds).

Total momentum of the system:

The total momentum of the system is 55.2 kg·m/s, which is the sum of the individual momenta of the kayaks.

Momentum: Momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity, and it is a vector quantity. In this scenario, the momentum of each kayak was calculated using the formula Momentum = Force × Time.

Since one kayak was pushed with a force of 46 N for 1.2 seconds, its momentum was determined to be 55.2 kg·m/s. The other kayak, which was not pushed, retained a momentum of zero since no external force acted upon it.

To find the total momentum of the system, we added up the individual momenta of the kayaks. In this case, the total momentum of the system was 55.2 kg·m/s, indicating the overall momentum of the two kayaks after the push.

Understanding momentum is crucial in physics, as it helps us analyze the movement and interactions of objects in various situations. It showcases the impact of external forces on the motion of objects and provides insights into conservation principles.