A cart rolls on a horizontal track toward a second identical cart that is initially…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Work, Energy and Power · Work, Energy and Power
Problem
A 1.5kg cart rolls on a horizontal track toward a second identical cart that is initially at rest. Just before contact, Cart 1 moves at 1.2ms−1. The collision between the carts lasts 0.020s and is sufficiently strong that the carts stick together. While they are in contact, the track exerts a constant horizontal resisting force of 0.40N on the combined carts.
(a) For the system consisting of both carts only, list all external forces that act during the 0.020s collision interval.
(b) Compute the impulse delivered by the track to the system during the collision.
(c) Calculate the initial linear momentum magnitude of the system just before contact. Determine what percentage of that initial momentum is changed by the track’s impulse. Based on your result, state and justify whether momentum conservation is a valid approximation for analyzing the carts’ velocities immediately after they stick together.