Two air track carts move along an air track towards each other. Cart A has a mass of 450 g and moves toward the right with a speed of 0.850 m/s and air track cart B has a mass of 300 g and moves toward the left with a speed of 1.12 m/s. What is the total momentum of the system?
A) 0.047 kg∙m/s toward the right
B) 0.719 kg∙m/s toward the right
C) 0.719 kg∙m/s toward the left
D) 0.750 kg∙m/s toward the right
E) 0.750 kg∙m/s toward the left

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The total momentum is calculated by adding the momentum of each cart. Cart A's momentum is (0.450 kg)(0.850 m/s) = 0.3825 kg∙m/s to the right, and Cart B's momentum is (0.300 kg)(1.12 m/s) = 0.336 kg∙m/s to the left. The total momentum is 0.3825 kg∙m/s - 0.336 kg∙m/s = 0.0465 kg∙m/s, approximately 0.047 kg∙m/s toward the right.

Two Air Track Carts Move Along an Air Track Towards