The velocity of the third piece weighing
equals
.
Explanation:
After the plate has fallen straight down and fragmented into three sections, they move horizontally in different directions.
The initial piece with a mass of
is moving on the x-axis at a speed of
, while the second piece with a mass of
moves vertically on the y-axis at a speed of
.
We need to determine the speed of the third part weighing
.
Assuming the x-y plane represents the horizontal surface, there was no prior momentum before impact.
Designate the third piece’s velocity components as
and
, and the resultant velocity
creates an angle of
from the negative x-axis as depicted in Figure 1.
Using the principle of conservation of momentum gives the following equation:

A second equation based on conservation of momentum can be expressed as:

The velocity
that the third piece travels is determined as follows:

Thus, the speed of the third piece is
.
Hence, the velocity of the third piece that has a mass of
amounts to
.
Learn More:
1. Speed and momentum
2. Linear momentum
3. Velocity and Momentum
Answer Details:
Grade: High School
Subject: Physics
Chapter: Momentum
Keywords:
Plate, momentum, falls, collision, slide, impact, 200 g, 2 m/s, 235 g, 1.50 m/s, 100 g, direction, motion, horizontal, force, x-axis, y-axis, vertically, floor, breaks, three, pieces.