Question

Jack and Jill stand on the ice and push off each other. Jack's 64.3-kg body is propelled westward with a velocity of 2.19 m/s. What is the eastward velocity of Jill's 45.4-kg body?

Answer 1

By the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of the system before and after the push must be equal. Therefore, we can use the following equation to solve for Jill's velocity:

(mass of Jack) x (velocity of Jack) = (mass of Jill) x (velocity of Jill)

Plugging in the given values, we get:

(64.3 kg) x (2.19 m/s) = (45.4 kg) x (velocity of Jill)

Solving for the velocity of Jill, we get:

velocity of Jill = (64.3 kg x 2.19 m/s) / 45.4 kg = 3.10 m/s (eastward)

Therefore, Jill's body is propelled eastward with a velocity of 3.10 m/s.