Question

A 1250 kg car is moving down the highway with a velocity of 32.0 m/s when it bumps into the car ahead of it which has a mass of 875 kg and a velocity of 25.0 m/s. After the collision, the two cars stick together. What will be the resulting velocity of the two cars together? How much energy will be lost in this collision?

Answer 1

The resulting velocity of the two cars can be found using the conservation of momentum equation, while the energy lost in the collision can be determined by comparing the initial and final kinetic energies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The resulting velocity of the two cars together can be calculated using the principles of conservation of momentum. The total momentum before the collision is the sum of the individual momenta of the cars. After the collision, the two cars stick together, so their combined mass is the sum of their individual masses. By applying the conservation of momentum equation, we can find the resulting velocity of the two cars together.

To calculate the energy lost in the collision, we need to find the initial kinetic energy of the system and the final kinetic energy of the combined cars. The initial kinetic energy is the sum of the kinetic energies of the individual cars, and the final kinetic energy is the kinetic energy of the combined cars. The difference between the initial and final kinetic energies gives us the energy lost in the collision.

Answer 2

First car has 0.0256 m/s per kg and the second one has 0,02857 m/s per kg. If both cars collide the resulting weight will be 2125 kg and both cars will be traveling at speed 0.027085 m/s per kg resulting in the speed 57.56 m/s