Question

If two carts of equal mass and equal but opposite velocity collide elastically, how will they move after the collision?

A) They will come to a complete stop.
B) They will continue to move with the same velocity.
C) They will move in opposite directions with the same speed.
D) They will move in the same direction with half the original speed.

Answer 1

After an elastic collision of two equal mass carts with equal and opposite velocities, they will exchange velocities and move in opposite directions at the same speed.

Step-by-step explanation:

If two carts of equal mass and equal but opposite velocity collide elastically, the outcome after the collision will be that they continue to move in opposite directions with the same speed as before the collision. This is because an elastic collision conserves both momentum and kinetic energy. Since the two carts have equal mass and opposite velocities, they will simply swap velocities and continue to move apart with the same speed, but each will move in the direction the other was moving before the collision.