A 96 kg fullback moving east with a speed of 9.0 m/s is tackled by a 101 kg opponent running west at 3.0 m/s, and the collision is perfectly inelastic.

Question

(a) Calculate the velocity of the players just after the tackle.

(b) Calculate the decrease in kinetic energy during the collision

Answer 1

(a) 96·9 - 101·3 = (96 + 101)v; v = 2.85 m/s east;

(b) ΔK = (96 + 101)·2.85²/2 - (96·81/2 + 101·9/2) = - 3542.434 J