A small, 300g cart is moving at 1.60m/s on an air track when it collides with a larger, 2.00kg cart at rest. After the collision, the small cart recoils at 0.820m/s.

Question

What is the speed of the large cart after the collision?

Answer 1

Use conservation of momentum.
m1u1+m2u2 = m1v1+m2v2
Before collision
m1=0.30kg
u1=1.6 m/s
m2=2.00 kg
u2=0
after collision
v1=0.82 m/s

Solve for v2.

Answer 2

1.1