Question

A bus and a car have an inelastic head-on collision. The bus has a mass of 1.5 × 103 kilograms and an initial velocity of 20 meters/second. The car has a mass of 9.5 × 102 kilograms and an initial velocity of -26 meters/second. What is their total momentum after the collision?

Answer 1

Answer:

+5300 kg m/s

Explanation:

In any type of collision, the total momentum is conserved. Therefore, we can just calculate the total momentum before the collision, and the final momentum will be equal to the initial one.

The total momentum before the collision is:

$p_i = m_1 u_1 + m_2 u_2$

where

$m_1 = 1.5 \cdot 10^3 kg$ is the mass of the bus

$m_2 = 9.5\cdot 10^2 kg$ is the mass of the car

$u_1 = 20 m/s$ is the initial velocity of the bus

$u_2 = -26 m/s$ is the initial velocity of the car

Substituting the numbers, we find

$p_1 = (1.5 \cdot 10^3 kg)(20 m/s)+(9.5\cdot 10^2 kg)(-26 m/s)=5300 kg m/s$

And since the total momentum is conserved, this is also the final momentum after the collision.

Answer 2

Answer:

p = 5300 kg-m/s

Explanation:

It is given that,

Mass of the bus, $m_1=1.5\times 10^3\ kg$

Initial velocity of the bus, $u_1=20\ m/s$

Mass of the car, $m_2=9.5\times 10^2\ kg$    

Initial velocity of the car, $u_2=-26\ m/s$

Let p is their total momentum after the collision. It can be given by :

$p=m_1u_1+m_2u_2$

$p=1.5\times 10^3\times 20+9.5\times 10^2\times (-26)$

p = 5300 kg-m/s

So, their total momentum after the collision is 5300 kg-m/s. Hence, this is the required solution.