Question

URGENT: A satellite traveling 1,000 m/s approaches a second satellite that is at rest. They both have the same mass. What will happen to their speeds when they connect and move off together?

Answer 1

This right here is an inelastic collision where kinetic energy is not conserved but still momentum is being conserved. We use momentum balance to solve. We do as follows:

m1v1 + m2v2 = (m1 + m2)v3

m1 = m2, v2 = 0

1000m1 = 2m1v3
v3 = 1000/2 = 500 m/s

Therefore, the final velocity of the two when they move off together would be 500 m/s.