Question

A 1200-kg car is travelling east at a rate of 9 m/s. A 1600-kg truck is travelling south at a rate of 13 m/s. The truck accidentally runs a stop sign and collides with the car in a completely inelastic collision. What is the speed of the combined mass after the collision

Answer 1

Around 3.57m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

p=mv

Let's denote the momentum, mass, and velocity of the car with the subscript 1, and for the truck use 2. After the collision, the combined momentum can be denoted with the subscript 3.

`p_1=1200\cdot 9=10800 \\\\p_2=1600\cdot 13=20800 \\\\20800-10800=10000 \\\\1200kg+1600kg=2800kg \\\\10000=2800v_3 \\\\v_3\approx 3.57m/s`

Hope this helps!