Respuesta :
Given
Mass of the meteor, m=25000.0 kg
Mass of the satellite, m'=9600.0 kg
The speed of the meteor, v=250.0 m/s
The speed of the satellite, v'=375.0 m/s
To find
The speed after the collision
Explanation
Let the combined speed after collision be u.
a) they were initially moving towards each other
Let us consider the right direction to be positive.
Considering the meteor to be travelling towards the right and the satellite towards left.
By conservation of momentum
[tex]\begin{gathered} mv+m^{\prime}v^{\prime}=(m+m^{\prime})u \\ \Rightarrow25000\times250+9600\times(-375)=(25000+9600)u \\ \Rightarrow u=76.58\text{ m/s} \end{gathered}[/tex]The combined speed is 76.58 m/s
b) they are moving in same direction
Let both the meteor and satellite moves towards the right direction
[tex]\begin{gathered} mv+m^{\prime}v^{\prime}=(m+m^{\prime})u \\ \Rightarrow25000\times250+9600\times375=(25000+9600)u \\ \Rightarrow u=284.68\text{ m/s} \end{gathered}[/tex]The combined speed is 284.68 m/s
Conclusion
a. The combined speed is 76.58 m/s
b. The combined speed is 284.68 m/s
