Which of the following is true when an object of mass m moving on a horizontal frictionless surface hits and sticks to an object
of mass M > m, which is initially at rest on the surface?The collision is elastic.A. All of the initial kinetic energy of the less-massive object is lost.B. The momentum of the objects that are stuck together has a smaller magnitude than the initial momentum of the less massive object.C. The speed of the objects that are stuck together will be less than the initial speed of the less-massive object.D. The direction of motion of the objects that are stuck together depends on whether the hit is a head on collision
A collision is said to be elastic when the total kinetic energy is the same after the collision. The speed of objects that are stuck together will always be less than the initial speed of the object that was in motion given that the other particle was at rest. It is because the kinetic energy of the system was due to the moving object. The objects have a greater overall mass when they are stuck. If the kinetic energy is the same and the mass increases, the velocity must decrease.
