Question

A hovering mosquito is hit by a raindrop that is 50 times as massive and falling at 8.1 m/s , a typical raindrop speed. how fast is the raindrop, with the attached mosquito, falling immediately afterward if the collision is perfectly inelastic?

Answer 1

here we will use the momentum conservation

initial total momentum = final total momentum

$P_i = P_f$

$m_1v_{1i} + m_2v_{2i} = m_1v_{1f} + m_2v_{2f}$

now plug in all data here

$m(0) + 50m(8.1) = mv + 50mv$

$405 = 51 v$

$v = 7.94 m/s$

so the final speed will be 7.94 m/s