Answer to Question #347247 in Physics for Hange

Question

A 50 kg tricycle travelling 6 m/s east and another tricycle with the same mass moving to the west at 3 m/s collided. Suppose the

collision did not damage any of the vehicles but caused the tricycles to move to the west at 3 m/s and to the east at 6 m/s, respectively.

Prove the law of conservation of momentum in this scenario.

Answer 1

Given:

$m_1=m_2=m$

$v_{1x}=6\:\rm m/s$

$v_{2x}=-3\:\rm m/s$

$v_{1x}'=-3\:\rm m/s$

$v_{2x}'=6\:\rm m/s$

The law of conservation of the momentum says

$$m_1v_{1x}+m_2v_{2x}=m_1v_{1x}'+m_2v_{2x}'$$

$$m*6+m*(-3)=m*(-3)+m*6$$

$$3m=3m$$

Thus, the momentum of the system is conserved.