Question

An inelastic collision occurs between a large truck and smaller sedan. Calculate the final velocity of the objects and explain the direction they will be traveling with the following data from before the collision: Small sedan mass = 1300 kg initial velocity = 20 m/s Truck mass = 7100 kg Initial Velocity 15 m/s

Answer 1

The final velocity is 15.8 m/s in the forward direction

Step-by-step explanation:

An inelastic collision occurs when the two object after the collision stick together.

In any case, the total momentum of the system is conserved before and after the collision, in absence of external forces. Therefore, we can write:

$p_i = p_f\\m u + MU = (m+M)v$

where in this problem:

m = 1300 kg is the mass of the small sedan

u = 20 m/s is the initial velocity of the small sedan

M = 7100 kg is the mass of the truck

U = 15 m/s is the initial velocity of the truck

v is the final combined velocity of the small sedan + truck

Here we have taken both the velocity of the sedan and the truck in the positive (forward) direction

Solving the equation for v, we find the final velocity:

$v=\frac{mu+MU}{m+M}=\frac{(1300)(20)+(7100)(15)}{1300+7100}=15.8 m/s$

And since the sign is positive, this means that is direction is the same as the initial direction of the sedan and the truck, so forward.

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