Consider gliders that slide friction-free along a horizontal air track.Glider A has a mass of 1 kg,a speed of 1 m/s,and collides with glider B,which has a mass of 5 kg and is at rest.If they stick upon collision the combined-glider speed will be

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Before the collision, we can calculate the momentum of glider A as p = mv = (1 kg)(1 m/s) = 1 kg*m/s. The momentum of glider B is initially 0 since it is at rest. After the collision, the two gliders stick together, and we have a new combined mass of 6 kg. Conservation of momentum tells us that the total momentum before the collision (1 kg*m/s) must be equal to the total momentum after the collision. Therefore, we have:

p = mv = (1 kg + 5 kg)(v') = 6 kg*v'

where v' is the final velocity of the combined gliders after the collision. Solving for v', we find:

v' = p/m = (1 kg*m/s) / (6 kg) = 1/6 m/s

Therefore, the combined gliders have a speed of 1/6 m/s after the collision. The correct choice is C.

Consider Gliders That Slide Friction-Free Along a Horizontal Air Track