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Which has a larger magnitude of momentum: a 3000-kg elephant moving at 40 km/h or a 60-kg cheetah moving at \(112 \mathrm{km} / \mathrm{h}\) ?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The 3000-kg elephant moving at 40 km/h has a larger magnitude of momentum (\(33,333.33 kg\cdot\frac{m}{s}\)) than the 60-kg cheetah moving at 112 km/h (\(18,666.67 kg\cdot\frac{m}{s}\)).

Step by step solution

01

Convert speeds from km/h to m/s

Before performing any calculations, it is helpful to have a standard unit of measurement for the velocity. 1 km/h = 1000/3600 m/s For the elephant, we have: \( v_{elephant} = 40\frac{km}{h} * \frac{1000m}{1km} * \frac{1h}{3600s} = \frac{40*1000}{3600} \frac{m}{s} \) For the cheetah, we have: \( v_{cheetah} = 112\frac{km}{h} * \frac{1000m}{1km} * \frac{1h}{3600s} = \frac{112*1000}{3600} \frac{m}{s} \)
02

Calculate the momentum for each animal

Next, we will calculate the momentum of each animal using the formula \( p = mv \), where m is the mass in kg and v is the velocity in m/s. For the elephant: \( p_{elephant} = m_{elephant} * v_{elephant} = 3000 kg * \frac{40*1000}{3600}\frac{m}{s} \) For the cheetah: \( p_{cheetah} = m_{cheetah} * v_{cheetah} = 60 kg * \frac{112*1000}{3600}\frac{m}{s} \)
03

Compare the magnitudes of the momenta

Now that we have expressions for the momenta of both the elephant and the cheetah, we will compare their magnitudes to determine which is larger. For the elephant: \( p_{elephant} = 3000kg * \frac{40*1000}{3600}\frac{m}{s} \) For the cheetah: \( p_{cheetah} = 60kg * \frac{112*1000}{3600}\frac{m}{s} \) Now compare the two momenta: \( 3000kg * \frac{40*1000}{3600}\frac{m}{s} \) vs. \( 60kg * \frac{112*1000}{3600}\frac{m}{s} \) By calculating the values, we get: \( p_{elephant} \approx 33,333.33 kg\cdot\frac{m}{s} \) \( p_{cheetah} \approx 18,666.67 kg\cdot\frac{m}{s} \)
04

Conclusion

Since the momentum of the elephant (\( 33,333.33 kg\cdot\frac{m}{s} \)) is greater than the momentum of the cheetah (\( 18,666.67 kg\cdot\frac{m}{s} \)), the elephant has the larger magnitude of momentum in this scenario.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Velocity Conversion
When dealing with physics problems, it's common to encounter velocities expressed in various units. To simplify calculations, converting these velocities to a standard unit like meters per second (m/s) is essential. In our exercise, both the elephant and the cheetah's speeds were given in kilometers per hour (km/h). To convert km/h to m/s, we use the conversion factor:
  • 1 km/h = 1000 meters / 3600 seconds = 0.27778 m/s.
For the elephant moving at 40 km/h:
  • We set up our conversion by multiplying: \[v_{elephant} = 40 \frac{\text{km}}{\text{h}} \times 0.27778 \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}} = 11.11 \, \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}}. \]
For the cheetah at 112 km/h:
  • Similarly, the conversion gives us:\[v_{cheetah} = 112 \frac{\text{km}}{\text{h}} \times 0.27778 \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}} = 31.11 \, \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}}. \]
This standardization to m/s makes further calculations straightforward and ensures accuracy.
Momentum Calculation
Momentum (\[ p \]) describes the quantity of motion an object has and is calculated by multiplying the mass of the object by its velocity:
  • \[ p = m \times v \]
Where:
  • \( p \) is momentum (in kg·m/s),
  • \( m \) is mass (in kg), and
  • \( v \) is velocity (in m/s).
For the elephant, which weighs 3000 kg and has a converted velocity of 11.11 m/s:
  • The momentum is: \[p_{elephant} = 3000 \, \text{kg} \times 11.11 \, \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}} = 33,330 \, \text{kg} \cdot \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}}. \]
For the cheetah, weighing 60 kg and having a velocity of 31.11 m/s:
  • The momentum is: \[p_{cheetah} = 60 \, \text{kg} \times 31.11 \, \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}} = 1,866.6 \, \text{kg} \cdot \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}}. \]
These calculations provide the foundation for comparing the momentum of different moving objects.
Comparison of Momenta
Once we've calculated the momentum for each animal, comparing them is simple. Momentum gives insight into how difficult it would be to stop a moving object. In this exercise:
  • The calculated momentum of the elephant is 33,330 kg·m/s.
  • For the cheetah, the momentum is 1,866.6 kg·m/s.
Comparing these values:
  • The elephant's momentum (33,330 kg·m/s) is significantly larger than the cheetah's (1,866.6 kg·m/s).
This means the elephant, despite being slower, has more momentum because of its much greater mass. The cheetah is fast, but its smaller mass results in less overall momentum. This comparison highlights how both mass and velocity play crucial roles in determining an object's momentum.

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