Mary is driving a car of mass 900 kilograms toward the north with a velocity of

22 meters/second. Danny is driving his 900-kilogram car with a velocity of

15 meters/second toward the east. They collide and both cars move together afterwards. What is the magnitude of the resultant momentum of the cars after the collision?

Question

Physics

Azul Larson

1 February, 20:27

Mary is driving a car of mass 900 kilograms toward the north with a velocity of

22 meters/second. Danny is driving his 900-kilogram car with a velocity of

15 meters/second toward the east. They collide and both cars move together afterwards. What is the magnitude of the resultant momentum of the cars after the collision?

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Answers (1)

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Stella Marsh · Answer 1

Since both cars move together after the collision, then this is an example of an inelastic collision. The formula for an inelastic collision is as follows:

m1u1 + m2u2 = (m1 + m2) v

Where:

m1 = mass of the first object

m2 = mass of the second object

u1 = initial velocity of the first object

u2 = initial velocity of the second object

v = final velocity

Substituting the given values to solve for v:

900*22 + 900*15 = (900 + 900) v

v = 18.5 m/s