PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Laws of Motion · Laws of Motion
Problem
Two carts are placed in contact on a horizontal, frictionless track with a compressed spring between them. Cart X has a mass of 2.0kg and cart Y has a mass of 3.0kg. The spring is released, giving both carts an impulse in opposite directions. The spring force acts only for a very short time at the start, after which the carts move freely. Two seconds after release, the carts are 1.2m apart.
Answer the following.
(i) Calculate the relative speed with which the carts moved apart immediately after the spring was released.
(ii) Using this relative speed, determine the individual speeds of carts X and Y just after the push.
(iii) Show that the total momentum of the two-cart system is the same before and immediately after the spring is released.