How to Calculate Final Velocity of an Object in Motion?

What is the final velocity of a man wearing ice skates on frictionless ice after being struck by a ball?

If a 5.0 kg ball moving at 8.0 m/s strikes a stationary 85.0 kg man on the chest, bouncing off the man and going 2.0 m/s in the opposite direction, what is his final velocity?

Answer:

The final velocity of the man in this scenario is approximately 0.588 m/s forward.

When a 5.0 kg ball moving at 8.0 m/s strikes a stationary 85.0 kg man on the chest, and bounces off the man at 2.0 m/s in the opposite direction, the final velocity of the man can be calculated using the law of conservation of momentum.

Because the man is initially at rest and wearing ice skates on frictionless ice, his initial velocity is zero. By considering the forward direction as positive and the backward direction as negative, we can substitute the given values into the equation for conservation of momentum to find the final velocity of the man.

By substituting the values of the mass of the ball, mass of the man, initial velocity of the ball, and final velocity of the ball into the equation, we can calculate that the final velocity of the man is approximately 0.588 m/s forward.

This calculation demonstrates how the law of conservation of momentum can be applied to determine the final velocity of an object in motion after a collision.