Question

Suppose a clay model of a koala bear has a mass of 0.205 kg and slides on ice at a speed of 0.720 m/s. It runs into another clay model, which is initially motionless and has a mass of 0.320 kg. Both being soft clay, they naturally stick together. What is their final velocity (in m/s)? (Enter the magnitude.)

Answer 1

Answer:

Final velocity, v = 0.28 m/s

Explanation:

Given that,

Mass of the model, $m_1=0.205\ kg$

Speed of the model, $u_1=0.72\ m/s$

Mass of another model, $m_2=0.32\ kg$

Initial speed of another model, $u_2=0$

To find,

Final velocity

Solution,

Let V is the final velocity. As both being soft clay, they naturally stick together. It is a case of inelastic collision. Using the conservation of linear momentum to find it as :

$m_1u_1+m_2u_2=(m_1+m_2)V$

$V=\dfrac{m_1u_1+m_2u_2}{(m_1+m_2)}$

$V=\dfrac{0.205\times 0.72+0.32\times 0}{(0.205+0.32)}$

V = 0.28 m/s

So, their final velocity is 0.28 m/s. Hence, this is the required solution.