Question

A car has a momentum of 20,000 kg • m/s. what would the car’s momentum be if its velocity doubles? 10,000 kg • m/s 20,000 kg • m/s 40,000 kg • m/s 80,000 kg • m/s

Answer 1

It would definitely be 40,000 kg • m/s because if you double either the mass or velocity and the other stays the same, the momentum will double no matter what.

Answer 2

Answer: 40,000 kg • m/s

Explanation:

the momentum of an object is defined as the product between its mass (m) and its velocity (v):

$p=mv$

From the formula, we see that there is a direct proportionality between the momentum, p, and the velocity, v. Therefore, if the velocity is doubled, then the momentum doubles as well.

In this problem, the initial momentum of the car is 20,000 kg • m/s. Therefore, if the velocity of the car is doubled, the momentum of the car will double as well, and it will becomes

$2\cdot 20,000 kg \cdot m/s=40,000 kg m/s$