Question

8. A railroad car slams into another railroad car

and couples together. What is the combined
speed of the railroad cars after the collision?
M=4000 kg
v=2 m/s
Before
After
M=6000 kg
v=0m/s

Answer 1

the combined speed of the two railroad cars after the collision is 4/3 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

The combined speed of the two railroad cars after the collision can be calculated using the conservation of momentum principle.

Let's assume the combined speed of the cars after the collision is v'. Then, using the equation for momentum, p = m * v, where m is the mass of each car and v is the velocity of each car, the momentum of each car before and after the collision can be calculated as:

Before the collision:

m1 = 4000 kg, v1 = 2 m/s

p1 = m1 * v1 = 4000 kg * 2 m/s = 8000 kg m/s

After the collision:

m2 = 6000 kg, v2 = 0 m/s

p2 = m2 * v2 = 6000 kg * 0 m/s = 0 kg m/s

Since momentum is conserved, the momentum before the collision must equal the momentum after the collision:

p1 = p2

So,

8000 kg m/s = 6000 kg * v'

Solving for v', we find that:

v' = 8000 kg m/s / 6000 kg = 4/3 m/s

Therefore, the combined speed of the two railroad cars after the collision is 4/3 m/s.