Question

A 2500 kg car moving at a speed of 22.0 m s⁻¹ and a 3450 kg van moving at a speed of 15.0 m s⁻¹ are moving at aright angles to each other and collide as shown in the figure above.

The car and van stick together in the collision. What is the speed of the car+van after the collision? (in m s⁻¹ to 3 s.f)

Answer 1

$m_1=2500\; kg, \, m_2=3450 \; kg ; \;\; v_1=22 \,m/s, \; v_2=-15 \, m/s$ .

$m_1v_1 +m_2v_2 = (m_1+m_2) v$

$\displaystyle v = \frac{m_1v_1+m_2v_2}{m_1+m_2} = \frac{55000-51760}{5950}= 0.5445\, m/s$

Answer: 0.5445 m/s.