Answer:
Speed of the cars after the collision is 3.34 m/s.
Explanation:
It is given that,
Mass of one car, m₁ = 1500 kg
Velocity of this car, v₁ = + 30 m/s ( in east )
Mass of other car, m₂ = 3000 kg
Velocity of other car, v₂ = - 20 m/s (in south)
The two cars stick together after the collision. It is a case of inelastic collision. Let v is the speed of cars after collision. It can be calculated using the conservation of linear momentum as :
[tex]m_1v_1+m_2v_2=(m_1+m_2)v[/tex]
[tex]v=\dfrac{m_1v_1+m_2v_2}{(m_1+m_2)}[/tex]
[tex]v=\dfrac{1500\ kg\times 30\ m/s+3000\ kg\times (-20\ m/s)}{1500\ kg+3000\ kg}[/tex]
v = -3.34 m/s
So, the speed of the cars after the collision is 3.34 m/s. Hence, this is the required solution.
