Question

A 1000-kg car traveling east at 20 m/s collides with a 1500-kg car traveling west at 10 m/s. The cars stick together after the collision. What is the common velocity of the cars after the collision?

Answer 1

Answer:

Common velocity will be 2 m/sec

Explanation:

We have given a car of mass 1000 kg is traveling in east at 20 m /sec

So $m_1=1000kg$ and $v_1=20m/sec$ ( take east direction as positive )

And another car of mass 1500 kg is moving with 10 m/sec in west direction

So $m_1=1500kg$ and $v_2=-10m/sec$ ( west direction will be negative direction )

According to law of conservation of momentum

$m_1v_1+m_2v_2=(m_1+m_2)v$

$1000\times 20-1500\times 10=(1000+1500)v$

$v=\frac{5000}{2500}=2m/sec$

So common velocity will be 2 m/sec