Serway & Jewett — Linear Momentum and Collisions: Problem 42

Pursued by ferocious wolves, you are in a sleigh with no horses, gliding without friction across an ice-covered lake. You take an action described by the equations \[(270\text{ kg})(7.50\text{ m/s})\hat{i} = (15.0\text{ kg})(-v_{1f}\hat{i}) + (255\text{ kg})(v_{2f}\hat{i})\] \[v_{1f} + v_{2f} = 8.00\text{ m/s}\] (a) Complete the statement of the problem, giving the data and identifying the unknowns. (b) Find the values of \(v_{1f}\) and \(v_{2f}\). (c) Find the amount of energy that has been transformed from potential energy stored in your body to kinetic energy of the system.