The speed of an icebreaker weighing 1000 tons, moving uniformly with the engine off, was 6 m / s.
The speed of an icebreaker weighing 1000 tons, moving uniformly with the engine off, was 6 m / s. After a collision with a stationary ice floe, the icebreaker continued to move with it. The mass of the ice floe is 5⋅10 ^ 5 kg. What is the speed of the joint motion of both bodies? Disregard water friction. Consider that the water is stagnant, there are no currents.
To calculate the joint velocity of the ice floe and the icebreaker, we use the law of conservation of momentum (we take into account that the ice floe was motionless before the collision): V1 * m1 = V * (m1 + m2), from where we express: V = V1 * m1 / (m1 + m2).
Variables: V1 – initial icebreaker speed (V1 = 6 m / s); m1 is the mass of the icebreaker (m1 = 1000 t = 1 * 10 ^ 6 kg); m2 is the mass of the ice floe (m2 = 5 * 10 ^ 5 kg).
Let’s calculate: V = 6 * 1 * 10 ^ 6 / (1 * 10 ^ 6 + 5 * 10 ^ 5) = 4 m / s.
Answer: The speed of the joint movement is 4 m / s.