Question #e0d7b
1 Answer
The recoil of the Earth will be equal to
Explanation:
So, you know that a 5-kg bowling ball is projected upward with a velocity of 2 m/s.
Consider your bowling ball - Earth system. Before launching the bowling ball, the net momentum of this system is zero. After the ball is launched, it develops a positive momentum given by its upward speed and mass.
However, the net momentum of the bowling ball - Earth system must be preserved, which means that the Earth will also develop a momentum.
If you take the upward direction to be the positive one, then the velocity of the Earth will carry a negative sign, since it's pointed in the opposite direction. So,
Regroup this equation to get the recoil velocity of the Earth
The negative sign just symbolizes that the direction of movement is opposite to that of the bowling ball.