Question

A 640 kg automobile slides across an icy street at a speed of 55.8 km/h and collides with a parked car which has a mass of 935 kg. The two cars lock up and slide together. What is the speed of the two cars just after they collide

Answer 1

V = 6.29 m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

Given that,

The mass of an automobile, m₁ = 640 kg

The mass of parked car, m₂ = 935 kg

The speed of automobile, u₁ = 55.8 km/h = 15.5 m/s

The speed of the parked car, u₂ = 0

We need to find the speed of the two cars just after they collide . Let V is a common speed. Using the conservation of linear momentum to find it such that,

`m_1u_1+m_2u_2=(m_1+m_2)V\\\\V=(m_1u_1)/((m_1+m_2))\\\\V=(640* 15.5)/((640+935))\\\\V=6.29\ m/s`

So, the speed of the two cars is equal to 6.29 m/s.