# Spaceship 1 and Spaceship 2 have equal masses of 300 kg. Spaceship 1 has a speed of 0 m/s, and...

## Question:

Spaceship 1 and Spaceship 2 have equal masses of 300 kg. Spaceship 1 has a speed of 0 m/s, and Spaceship 2 has a speed of 4 m/s. What is the magnitude of their combined momentum?

## Momentum:

Momentum is a physical quantity that is related to the motion of the object. It quantifies the amount of motion possessed by an object.

The momentum of an object depends on the following parameters:

1. The mass of the object.
2. The velocity of the object.

We are given:

• The masses of the two spaceships, {eq}m_1=m_2=300\;\rm kg {/eq}
• The velocity of the spaceship 1, {eq}v_1=0 {/eq}
• The velocity of the spaceship 2, {eq}v_2=4\;\rm m/s {/eq}

The momentum of an object of mass {eq}m {/eq} moving with velocity {eq}v {/eq} is given by the equation:

{eq}p=mv {/eq}

The momentum of the first satellite is:

{eq}\begin{align*} p_1=m_1v_1\\ &=300\;\rm kg\times 0\\ &=0 \end{align*} {/eq}

The momentum of the second satellite is:

{eq}\begin{align*} p_2=m_2v_2\\ &=300\;\rm kg\times 4\;\rm m/s\\ &=1200\;\rm kg.m/s \end{align*} {/eq}

The magnitude of their combined momentum is:

{eq}\begin{align*} p&=p_1+p_2\\ &=0+1200\;\rm kg.m/s\\ &=\boxed{1200\;\rm kg.m/s} \end{align*} {/eq}