A 900-kg car traveling east at 15.0 m/s suddenly collides with a 750-kg car traveling north at 20.0 m/s . The cars stick together after the collision. What is the speed of the wreckage just after the collision?

Question

A 900-kg car traveling east at  15.0 m/s suddenly collides with a  750-kg car traveling north at  20.0 m/s . The cars stick together after the collision. What is the speed of the wreckage just after the collision?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The speed of the wreckage can be found using conservation of momentum. The combined momentum in the east and north directions is used to find the resultant velocity. The calculation gives approximately 12.2 m/s.

A 900-Kg Car Traveling East at 15