3. two hockey players of equal mass skate toward each other at the same speed. they collide and hold onto…

3. two hockey players of equal mass skate toward each other at the same speed. they collide and hold onto each other, moving together after the collision. what happens to their velocity immediately after the collision? they come to a complete stop. they continue moving in the direction of the faster skater. they move in the direction of the skater who applied more force. they move together at twice their original speed. clear all

3. two hockey players of equal mass skate toward each other at the same speed. they collide and hold onto each other, moving together after the collision. what happens to their velocity immediately after the collision? they come to a complete stop. they continue moving in the direction of the faster skater. they move in the direction of the skater who applied more force. they move together at twice their original speed. clear all

Answer

Answer:

They come to a complete stop.

Explanation:

Step1: Apply momentum - conservation

Let the mass of each player be $m$ and the speed be $v$. The initial momentum of one player is $p_1 = mv$ and the other is $p_2=-mv$ (opposite directions).

Step2: Calculate total initial momentum

$P_{total - initial}=mv+( - mv)=0$.

Step3: Analyze after - collision situation

By the law of conservation of momentum ($P_{total - initial}=P_{total - final}$), and since they move together as one object after collision with mass $M = 2m$, if the final velocity is $V$, then $0=(2m)V$. Solving for $V$, we get $V = 0$. So they come to a complete stop.