Question

A 4000kg truck has a head on inelastic collision with a 2500kg truck. the 4000kg truck moving at 20m/s and the 2500kg is going at 35 m/s. A. calculate the total momentum of the trucks before they collide. B. calculate thier speed just after they collide.

Answer 1

The total momentum of the trucks before the collision is 167,500 kg · m/s. The speed of the two trucks just after the collision is approximately 25.77 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an inelastic collision, the total momentum of the system is conserved, meaning that the combined momentum of the two trucks before the collision is equal to the combined momentum after the collision. To calculate the total momentum before the collision, you need to calculate the individual momentums of each truck and then add them together:

1. Calculate the momentum of the 4000kg truck: momentum = mass * velocity = 4000kg * 20m/s = 80,000kg · m/s
2. Calculate the momentum of the 2500kg truck: momentum = mass * velocity = 2500kg * 35m/s = 87,500kg · m/s
3. Calculate the total momentum by adding the individual momentums together: total momentum = 80,000kg · m/s + 87,500kg · m/s = 167,500kg · m/s

So, the total momentum of the trucks before they collide is 167,500 kg · m/s.

To calculate their speed just after the collision, you can use the principle of conservation of momentum again. The total momentum after the collision is also equal to the combined momentum of the two trucks:

1. Calculate the combined mass of the two trucks: mass = 4000kg + 2500kg = 6500kg
2. Calculate the total momentum after the collision: total momentum = 167,500kg · m/s
3. Calculate the speed by dividing the total momentum by the combined mass: speed = total momentum / mass = 167,500kg · m/s / 6500kg = 25.77 m/s

So, the speed of the two trucks just after the collision is approximately 25.77 m/s.