Question

While standing on ice, you first throw a tennis ball and then a bowling ball. Which one would cause you to have the greatest negative velocity? Explain using conservation of momentum.

Answer 1

Throwing the bowling ball would have the greatest negative velocity becasue Principle of the Conservation of Momentum states that: if objects collide, the total momentum before the collision is the same as the total momentum after the collision (provided that no external forces - for example, friction - act on the system). That’s amazingly useful because it means that you can tell what is going to happen after a collision before it has taken place. Principle of Conservation of Energy: Of course, energy is also conserved in any collision, but it isn't always conserved in the form of kinetic energy.

Answer 2

Given that the bowling ball has a greater mass, the momentum that it will acquire will be higher than the momentum in the case of the tennis ball.

Therefore, the conservation of moment principle tells you that, to compensate the greater momentum of the bowling ball,  you will acquire a greater negative velocity when you throw the bowling ball than when you throw the tennis ball.