Consider a system consisting of three particles: m1 = 11 kg, m2 = 5 kg, and m3 = 72 kg. The velocities of these particles are v1 = <-14, 7, -6> m/s, v2 = <-26, 37, 24> m/s, and v3 = mls.
(a) What is the total momentum of this system?
(b) What is the velocity of the center of mass of this system?
(c) What is the total kinetic energy of this system?
(d) What is the translational kinetic energy of this system?
(e) What is the kinetic energy of this system relative to the center of mass?
One way to calculate the kinetic energy relative to the center of mass is by calculating the velocity of each particle relative to the center of mass and then calculating the corresponding kinetic energy. However, there is a simpler way to determine this quantity by considering the relationships among the various kinds of kinetic energy in a multiparticle system.