A 0.900 kg ornament is hanging by a 1.50 m wire when the ornament is suddenly hit by a 0.400 kg missile traveling horizontally at 12.0 m/s. The missile embeds itself in the ornament during the collision. What is the tension in the wire immediately after the collision?

Explanation:

The given data is as follows.

  Mass of the ornament () = 0.9 kg

  Length of the wire (l) = 1.5 m

 Mass of missile () = 0.4 kg

 Initial speed of missile () = 12 m/s

         r = 1.5 m

According to the law of conservation of momentum,

Putting the given values into the above formula as follows.

              0 + 4.8 = 1.3v

                  v = 3.69 m/s

Now, the centrifugal force produced is calculated as follows.

                       =

                       = 11.80 N

Hence, tension in the wire is calculated as follows.

              T =

                 =

                 = 24.54 N

Thus, we can conclude that tension in the wire immediately after the collision is 24.54 N.