A 85-kg astronaut is stranded from his space shuttle. He throws a 1-kg hammer away from the shuttle with a velocity of 17 m/s. How fast will he be propelled toward the shuttle, in m/s? (Round your answer to one decimal place if necessary.)

0.2 m/s

Explanation:

given,

mass of astronaut, M = 85 Kg

mass of hammer, m = 1 Kg

velocity of hammer, v = 17 m/s

speed of astronaut, v' = ?

initial speed of the astronaut and the hammer be equal to zero = ?

Using conservation of momentum

(M + m) V = M v' + m v

(M + m) x 0 = 85 x v' + 1 x 17

85 v' = - 17

v' = - 0.2 m/s

negative sign represent the astronaut is moving in opposite direction of hammer.

Hence, the speed of the astronaut is equal to 0.2 m/s