A car with a mass of 645.7 kg is travelling on an icy street at 47.2 meters/second. The driver loses control, and slides (frictionlessly) on the ice, crashing into a stationary second car with a mass of 788.7 kg. The collision causes the two cars to become stuck together, and they continue to slide together across the frictionless ice. What is the speed of the combined 2-car wreck after the collision?
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Conservation of momentum for a perfectly inelastic collision:
m₁v₁(i) + m₂v₂(i) = (m₁ + m₂)v(f)
v(f) = m₁v₁(i) + m₂v₂(i) /( m₁ + m₂)
= (645.7kg)(47.2m/s) + (788.7kg)(0) / (645.7kg + 788.7kg)
= 21.2m/s
Hope you find this helpful.
m₁v₁(i) + m₂v₂(i) = (m₁ + m₂)v(f)
v(f) = m₁v₁(i) + m₂v₂(i) /( m₁ + m₂)
= (645.7kg)(47.2m/s) + (788.7kg)(0) / (645.7kg + 788.7kg)
= 21.2m/s
Hope you find this helpful.