A small, 200 g cart is moving at 1.50 m/s on an air track when it collides with a larger, 2.00 kg cart at rest. After the collision, the small cart recoils at 0.890 m/s.

Question

A small, 200 g cart is moving at 1.50 m/s on an air track when it collides with a larger, 2.00 kg cart at rest. After the collision, the small cart recoils at 0.890 m/s.
Q: What is the speed of the large cart after the collision?

How do you set this up? Would it be like (mass of small cart)/(mass of large cart)*1.50m/s? but then how do you use the 0.890 m/s?

drwls · Answer

Assume linear momentum is conserved. 0.2*1.50 = 0.2*(-0.89) + 2.0*V 0.30 + 1.78 = 2.0 V V = 1.04 m/s

bobpursley · Answer

Start with the law of conservation of momentum: initial momentum=final momentum 200(1.5)+0=200(-.890)+2000*V solve for V.

bobpursley · Answer

"Cat21". Please refrain from posting questions under different names.