Solve Momentum & Impulse Homework: Diver Leaves Raft at 4 m/s

[jer_hall99]

Homework Statement

18. A 75 kg swimmer dives horizontally off a 300 kg raft. If the speed of the raft immediately after the swimmer dives off is 1.0 m/s, at what speed did the diver leave the raft?

A. 2 m/s B. 4 m/s C. 6 m/s D. 8 m/s E. 10 m/s

Homework Equations

p=mv

The Attempt at a Solution

I can't figure out how to use the equation to solve the problem. The only answer that I could find was 4 m/s and I did that by taking 300/75. Can somebody work it out step-by-step for me please?

 

[grzz]

If swimmer and raft are initially at rest, what is the initial momentum of (swimmer + raft)?

 

[Plutonium88]

Conservation of momentum in the x direction may help you. M1v1 + m2v2 = m1v1' + m2v2'

The ' symbol means prime. The equation represents momentum of two objects before the collision is the same as the momentum of two objects after