Question

Consider two objects whose masses are 100 g and 200 g. The 100 g object strikes the 200 g object with a force of 500 N. According to Newton’s third law of motion, what force does the larger object exert on the smaller object

Answer 1

Answer:

Mass of first objects, m₁= 100 g = 0.1 kg  

Mass of second object, m₂ = 200 g = 0.2 kg  

Velocity of m₁ before collision, v₁= 2 m/s  

Velocity of m₂ before collision, v₂ = 1 m/s  

Velocity of m₁ after collision, v₃ = 1.67 m/s  

Velocity of m₂ after collision = v₄

According to the law of conservation of momentum:  

Total momentum before collision = Total momentum after collision  

m₁v₁ + m₂v₂ = m₁v₃+ m₂v₄

⇒ 0.1 * 2 + 0.2 * 1 = 0.1 * 1.67 + 0.2 * v₄  

⇒ 0.4 = 0.67 + 0.2 * v₄  

Explanation: