How Does a Student Walking on a Cart Affect Its Velocity?

In summary, momentum is a property of an object that describes its motion and is calculated by multiplying an object's mass and velocity. The conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant. Momentum is related to force through Newton's second law, where force is equal to the change in momentum over time. The mass and velocity of an object directly affect its momentum, with larger mass and higher velocity resulting in greater momentum and making it harder to stop or change direction.
  • #1
LSCupcake
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Homework Statement



A 63-kg student stands on a 34-kg cart that is free to move in any direction. The cart and student are moving together with a velocity of 3.2 m/s (W). The student then starts to walk so that her velocity is 1.8 m/s (25 degrees W of N) relative to the floor. Calculate the new veloicity of the cart



If anyone knows how to approach/complete this problem. Please share. Thanks.
 
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  • #2
Use conservation of linear momentum.
 

1. What is momentum?

Momentum is a property of an object that describes its motion. It is defined as the product of an object's mass and velocity.

2. How is momentum calculated?

Momentum is calculated by multiplying an object's mass (in kilograms) by its velocity (in meters per second).

3. What is the conservation of momentum?

The conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant, meaning that the combined momentum of all objects in the system before and after an interaction will be the same.

4. How is momentum related to force?

According to Newton's second law, the force acting on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration. Since acceleration is the change in velocity over time, and momentum is mass times velocity, we can see that force is also equal to the change in momentum over time.

5. How does the mass and velocity of an object affect its momentum?

The greater the mass and velocity of an object, the greater its momentum will be. This means that an object with a larger mass or a higher velocity will be harder to stop or change its direction of motion.

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