Question

a locomotive of mass 15000kg traveling at 2.5m/s collides and couples with a set of rail carts of mass 7000kg.calculate:
1.the combined velocity of the train and carts after impact
2.the loss in kinetic energy in the collision

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Now this time you told me the collision is inelastic, they stick together.
Therefore we have one mass of 22,000 kg after collision.
I assume the carts were stationary before the crash.
Initial momentum=
15,000*2.5 + 0 = 37,500 kg m/s
= final momentum = 22,000 v
so
v = 1.68 m/s

initial Ke = (1/2) (15,000)(2.5)^2
final Ke = (1/2)(22,000)(1.68)^2

subtract the final from the initial to find the loss in the heat of collision