Question

An air track car with a mass of 0.75 kg and a velocity of 8.5 m/s to the right collides elastically with a 0.65kg car moving to the left with a velocity of 7.2m/s. If the collision is elastic, what is the speed and direction of each car after the collision?

Answer 1

We can do this with the conservation of momentum. The fact it is elastic means no KE is lost so we don't have to worry about the loss due to sound energy etc.

Firstly, let's calculate the momentum of both objects using p=mv:

Object 1:
p = 0.75 x 8.5 = 6.375 kgm/s

Object 2 (we will make this one negative as it is travelling in the opposite direction):
p = 0.65 x -(7.2) = -4.68 kgm/s

Based on this we know that the momentum is going to be in the direction of object one, and will be 6.375-4.68=1.695 kgm/s

Substituting this into p=mv again:

1.695 = (0.75+0.65) x v
Note I assume here the objects stick together, it doesn't specify - it should!

1.695 = 1.4v
v=1.695/1.4 = 1.2 m/s to the right (to 2sf)