Mary slides down a snow-covered hill on a large piece of cardboard and then slid
ID: 1315902 • Letter: M
Question
Mary slides down a snow-covered hill on a large piece of cardboard and then slides across a frozen pond at a constant velocity of +2.6 m/s. After Mary has reached the bottom of the hill and is sliding across the ice, Sue runs after her at a velocity of +4.7 m/s and hops on the cardboard. How fast do the two of them slide across the ice together on the cardboard? Mary's mass is 70 kg and Sue's is 55 kg. Ignore the mass of the cardboard and any friction between the cardboard and the snow and/or ice. (Indicate the direction with the sign of your answer.)
Explanation / Answer
m1 = 70
u1 = 2.6 m/s
m2 = 55 kg
u2 = 4.7 m/s
initial momentum Pi = m1*u1 + m2*u2
final momentum after hopping Pf = (m1+m2)*V
from momentum conservation Pf = Pi
v = (m1*u1 + m2*u2 )/(m1+m2)
V = ((70*2.6)+(55*4.7))/(70+55)
V = 3.524 m/s <------answer