Question

A 95-kg astronaut is stranded from his space shuttle. He throws a 2-kg hammer away from the shuttle with a velocity of 19 m/s. How fast will he be propelled toward the shuttle, in m/s? (Round your answer to one decimal place if necessary.)

Answer 1

Answer:

The astronaut will be propelled towards the shuttle at the rate of 0.4 m/s.

Explanation:

Given;

mass of  the astronaut, m₁ = 95 kg

mass of the hammer thrown, m₂ = 2 kg

velocity of the hammer, v₂ = 19 m/s

let the recoil velocity of the shuttle = v₁

Apply the principle of conservation of linear momentum;

m₁v₁ = m₂v₂

v₁ = m₂v₂/m₁

v₁ = (2 x 19) / 95

v₁ = 0.4 m/s

Therefore, the astronaut will be propelled towards the shuttle at the rate of 0.4 m/s.