Which Bowling Ball Has the Greatest Momentum?

Given the following bowling balls are all traveling at 6 m/s:

a. 6 kg bowling ball

b. 10 kg bowling ball

c. 12 kg bowling ball

d. 14 kg bowling ball

Which bowling ball has the greatest momentum?

Final answer: The 14 kg bowling ball has the greatest momentum at 84 kg·m/s.

Momentum is defined as the product of an object's mass and its velocity. In this case, all bowling balls are traveling at the same velocity of 6 m/s. The formula for momentum is:

Momentum (p) = Mass (m) × Velocity (v)

Let's calculate the momentum for each bowling ball:

• 6 kg bowling ball: 6 kg * 6 m/s = 36 kg·m/s
• 10 kg bowling ball: 10 kg * 6 m/s = 60 kg·m/s
• 12 kg bowling ball: 12 kg * 6 m/s = 72 kg·m/s
• 14 kg bowling ball: 14 kg * 6 m/s = 84 kg·m/s

The results show that the 14 kg bowling ball has the highest momentum at 84 kg·m/s. This is because it has the highest mass among the options given, making it contribute the most to the overall momentum when combined with the constant velocity of 6 m/s.