Gall placed two carts on a track. Both carts have very low friction, A spring is attached to one of the carts. Gail compressed the spring between the two carts. Then she released the carts. The two carts pushed apart.

Question

Which statement explains why momentum is conserved in this situation?

A The two cats have zero insul momentum

Oc. The in mortentum of the spring is zero

a. The net force acting on the system is zero

OD. The two carts move at the same speed in opposite

directions

Answer 1

The correct statement that explains why momentum is conserved in this situation is:

C. The net force acting on the system is zero.

In an isolated system where no external forces are acting, the total momentum remains constant. Before the spring is released, the momentum of the system is zero (assuming both carts are initially at rest). After the spring is released, the two carts push apart with equal and opposite momenta, which keeps the total momentum of the system at zero, thus conserving momentum.