Cart P (mass ) moves to the right at on a straight
PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Linear Momentum · Linear Momentum
Problem
Cart P (mass 0.30kg) moves to the right at +2.0m⋅s−1 on a straight, horizontal track. Cart Q (mass 0.40kg) moves along the same track to the left at −1.0m⋅s−1. The carts collide head-on in an interaction that conserves the total kinetic energy of the two-cart system.
(a) Determine the speed and direction of each cart immediately after the collision.
(b) Verify that the numerical results from part (a) satisfy conservation of linear momentum for the two-cart system.
(c) Determine the percentage change in kinetic energy for each individual cart. Explain why these individual changes do not contradict the information provided in the problem statement.