Asked by 123

A lab cart with a mass of 15 kg is moving with constant velocity, v, along a straight horizontal track. A student drops a 2 kg mass into it from directly above, and the cart continues moving.

Which equation best represents the horizontal momentum in this situation?

15vi + 2vf= 15(0)+ 2vi
15vi + 2(0) = 15vf + 2(0)
15vi + 2(0) = (15 + 2)vf
15(0) + 2vi = (15 + 2)vf

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Option 3: 15vi + 2(0) = (15 + 2)vf.

Reason: the dropped mass has zero initial horizontal velocity, so initial horizontal momentum is 15vi. Horizontal momentum is conserved, so 15vi = 17vf.