Consider massive 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 that has a mass of 5 kg and is at rest. If they stick upon collision, their speed after collision will be

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can use the conservation of momentum to solve this problem. Initially, the momentum of Glider A is 1 kg m/s, and the momentum of Glider B is 0 kg m/s. The total momentum of the system is therefore 1 kg m/s.
After the collision, Glider A and Glider B stick together and move with a common velocity. Let's call this velocity v. The total mass of the system is 1 kg + 5 kg = 6 kg.
By the conservation of momentum, the total momentum of the system after the collision is also 1 kg m/s. This gives us the equation:
(1 kg + 5 kg) v = 1 kg m/s
Solving for v, we get:
v = 1/6 m/s
Therefore, the answer is choice C.

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