Answer:Bruce is knocked backwards at
14
m
s
.
Explanation:
This is a problem of momentum (
→
p
) conservation, where
→
p
=
m
→
v
and because momentum is always conserved, in a collision:
→
p
f
=
→
p
i
We are given that
m
1
=
45
k
g
,
v
1
=
2
m
s
,
m
2
=
90
k
g
, and
v
2
=
7
m
s
The momentum of Bruce (
m
1
) before the collision is given by
→
p
1
=
m
1
v
1
→
p
1
=
(
45
k
g
)
(
2
m
s
)
→
p
1
=
90
k
g
m
s
Similarly, the momentum of Biff (
m
2
) before the collision is given by
→
p
2
=
(
90
k
g
)
(
7
m
s
)
=
630
k
g
m
s
The total linear momentum before the collision is the sum of the momentums of each of the football players.
→
P
=
→
p
t
o
t
=
∑
→
p
→
P
i
=
→
p
1
+
→
p
2
→
P
i
=
90
k
g
m
s
+
630
k
g
m
s
=
720
k
g
m
s
Because momentum is conserved, we know that given a momentum of
720
k
g
m
s
before the collision, the momentum after the collision will also be
720
k
g
m
s
. We are given the final velocity of Biff (
v
2
=
1
m
s
) and asked to find the final velocity of Bruce.
→
P
f
=
→
p
1
f
+
→
p
2
f
→
P
f
=
m
1
v
1
f
+
m
2
v
2
f
Solve for
v
1
:
v
1
f
=
→
P
f
−
m
2
v
2
f
m
1
Using our known values:
v
1
f
=
720
k
g
m
s
−
(
90
k
g
)
(
1
m
s
)
45
k
g
v
1
f
=
14
m
s
∴
Bruce is knocked backwards at
14
m
s
.
Explanation:
