Two astronauts, Michael and Collins, conduct several collision experiments in an environment with no external forces. Michael has a larger mass than Collins. In each experiment, Michael is initially moving with speed \(v_i\) in the positive \(x\)-direction and Collins is initially at rest.
A sled with mass \(m_s = 20 \mathrm{~kg}\) carrying a single passenger with mass \(m_p = 60 \mathrm{~kg}\) is initially moving to the right along an icy, frictionless surface with speed \(v_i = 5 \mathrm{~\frac{m}{s}}\) relative to the ice. The passenger then decides to jump off the front of the sled! The jump takes a small amount of time \(t = 3 \mathrm{~s}\text{,}\) after which the passenger is now moving to the right in such a way that the passenger’s final speed relative to the ice is twice as large as the sled’s final speed relative to the ice. Determine the final speed of the sled and the magnitude of the average net force on the sled during the jump.
In studying energy and momentum, you learned about conservation laws, which provide a different perspective on the world than forces do. Summarize the conservation laws you learned about, including information about when each quantity is conserved.
