Question

A car with a mass of 1000 kg is traveling east at 4 m/s. Another car with a mass of 500 kg is traveling west at a speed of 3 m/s. The two cars collide. After the collision, the 1000 kg car has a velocity of 1 m/s east. What is the velocity of the 500 kg car after the collision?

Answer 1

Answer: the velocity of the 500 kg car after the collision is 3 m/s to the east.

Step-by-step explanation:

Initial momentum = (mass of car 1 x velocity of car 1) + (mass of car 2 x velocity of car 2)

Initial momentum = (1000 kg x 4 m/s) + (500 kg x -3 m/s) (Note that we use a negative velocity for car 2 because it is traveling in the opposite direction)

Initial momentum = 4000 kg m/s - 1500 kg m/s = 2500 kg m/s

After the collision, the total mass and total momentum of the system remain the same.

Final momentum = (mass of car 1 x velocity of car 1) + (mass of car 2 x velocity of car 2)

Final momentum = (1000 kg x 1 m/s) + (500 kg x v) (where v is the velocity of the 500 kg car after the collision)

Final momentum = 1000 kg m/s + 500v

Since the total momentum is conserved, we can set the initial momentum equal to the final momentum:

Initial momentum = Final momentum

2500 kg m/s = 1000 kg m/s + 500v

Solving for v, we get:

v = (2500 kg m/s - 1000 kg m/s) / 500 kg

v = 3 m/s

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