A) 30 m/s
The problem can be solved by using the law of conservation of momentum. In fact, the total momentum falcon+pigeon before the collision must be equal to the total momentum falcon+pigeon after the collision:
where
mf = 0.480 g is the mass of the falcon
uf = 45 m/s is the initial velocity of the falcon
mp = 0.240 g is the mass of the pigeon
up = 0 is the initial velocity of the pigeon
v is the final combined velocity of pigeon+falcon
Solving the equation for v, we find
B) 480 N
The average force on the pigeon during the impact is given by
where
is the change in momentum of the pigeon
is the duration of the collision
here we have:
- Change in momentum of the pigeon:
- Duration of the collision:
So the average force is