Question

An object of mass 10 kg collides with an object of mass 5 kg. If the objects stick together and move forward at a velocity of 4 m/s, what was the original velocity of the moving object?

Answer: To determine the original velocity of the moving object, more information is needed, such as the direction of the collision and whether there were any external forces involved. The velocity could be calculated using principles of conservation of momentum.

Answer 1

Without sufficient details, it is impossible to calculate the original velocity of the moving object involved in the collision. The question lacks the necessary information on direction and individual velocities pre-collision.

Step-by-step explanation:

The original velocity of the moving object in a collision can be calculated by using the law of conservation of momentum, provided we have enough information on the mass and velocity of both objects before and after the collision. In the example provided, it’s assumed that the collision is perfectly inelastic as the objects stick together. However, the question doesn't provide sufficient details regarding the direction of motion or the separate original velocities, hence we cannot determine the original velocity without additional information. For example, if we knew the velocity of the non-moving object was zero before collision, we could then use the combined mass and velocity after collision to work back and find out the original velocity of the moving object before the impact.