Understanding Inelastic Collisions: Mass Conservation
What happens to the mass of Cart 2 in a perfectly inelastic collision?
A. The mass of Cart 2 must be twice the mass of Cart 1.
B. The mass of Cart 2 must have decreased during the collision.
C. The mass of Cart 2 must be one third the mass of Cart 1.
D. The mass of Cart 2 must be the same as the mass of Cart 1.
[Option (A) the mass of Cart 2 is twice that of the mass of Cart 1 is the right answer.]
Answer:
A. The mass of Cart 2 must be twice the mass of Cart 1.
When Cart 1 has an initial velocity and hits Cart 2 in a perfectly inelastic collision, the combined carts move with one third of Cart 1's initial velocity and in the same direction. The mass of Cart 2 can be determined using the conservation of momentum.
By using the given variables and equations, we can find that the mass of Cart 2 is twice the mass of Cart 1. This demonstrates that in a perfectly inelastic collision, the mass of Cart 2 must be twice the mass of Cart 1.