PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Work, Energy and Power · Work, Energy and Power
Problem
Cart P of mass 0.50kg moves at 3.0ms−1 along a straight, frictionless track and collides head-on with stationary cart Q of mass 0.75kg. The coefficient of restitution for the carts’ bumpers is e=0.60. External forces during the brief impact are negligible.
(a) Determine the speed and direction of each cart immediately after the collision.
(b) Calculate the total kinetic energy of the two-cart system just before and just after the collision.
(c) Compute the percentage of the system’s initial kinetic energy that is lost during the collision.
(d) Based on your results, classify the collision as closer to perfectly elastic or perfectly inelastic and justify your choice with quantitative evidence.