Question

Jack and George meet in the middle of a lake while paddling in their canoes. They come to a complete stop and talk for a while. When they are ready to leave, Jack pushes George's canoe with a force F to separate the two canoes. What is correct to say about the final momentum and kinetic energy of the system if we can neglect any resistance due to the water?

Answer 1

Answer:

momentum =0

kinetic energy >0, positive

Explanation:

The final momentum is zero but the final kinetic energy is positive. The momentum is zero because momentum is the sum of the mass×velocity for each component. momentum is conserved

The KE is positive because KE is the sum of the 1/2×mass×velocity^2.

Whereas velocity can be positive and negative since it is (it's what makes the momentum zero because on is positive and one is negative), the velocity squared will always be positive.

Adding together two positives will always be a positive number.