An astronaut with a mass of #80 kg# is floating in space. If the astronaut throws an object with a mass of #11 kg# at a speed of #3/8 m/s#, how much will his speed change by?
1 Answer
Jul 12, 2017
The change in speed of the astronaut is
Explanation:
If the astronaut is floating in space, his speed is
We have conservation of momentum
The final speed of the astronaut is
The mass of the astronaut is
The mass of the object is
The final speed of the object is
Therefore,