a car with mass of 1250 kg travels at 2.24 m/s and bumps into a car with a mass of 1300 kg

1 answer

To solve this problem, we need to use the principle of conservation of momentum. According to this principle, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.

The initial momentum of the first car is calculated as:

Initial momentum of first car = mass x velocity
= 1250 kg x 2.24 m/s
= 2800 kg m/s

The initial momentum of the second car is calculated as:

Initial momentum of second car = mass x velocity
= 1300 kg x 0 m/s (since the second car is stationary)
= 0 kg m/s

The total initial momentum before the collision is equal to the sum of the individual momenta:

Total initial momentum before collision = Initial momentum of first car + Initial momentum of second car
= 2800 kg m/s + 0 kg m/s
= 2800 kg m/s

Let the final velocity of both cars after the collision be v m/s. According to conservation of momentum:

Total momentum after collision = Total momentum before collision
(mass of first car x final velocity of first car) + (mass of second car x final velocity of second car) = 2800 kg m/s

This equation can be rewritten as:

(1250 kg x v) + (1300 kg x v) = 2800 kg m/s
2550 kg x v = 2800 kg m/s
v = 2800 kg m/s / 2550 kg
v ≈ 1.098 m/s

Therefore, after the collision, both cars will be moving together at a velocity of approximately 1.098 m/s.