Physics

The correct statement is: The 50 kg skater will have a higher velocity.

This situation involves the principle of conservation of momentum. Since the ice rink is frictionless, no external forces act on the system of the two skaters. Therefore, the total momentum of the system before and after the push must remain constant.

If the skaters push off each other, their total momentum after the push must be zero (since they start at rest).

Let's break it down:

Initially, both skaters are at rest, so the initial momentum is zero.

After the push, the total momentum must still be zero (since there are no external forces). Therefore, the momentum of one skater must cancel out the momentum of the other skater.

We can use the formula for momentum:

Momentum = mass × velocity

Let's assume the velocity of the 50 kg skater is and the velocity of the 70 kg skater is . From conservation of momentum:

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