Speed Calculation in Elastic Collision
What is the speed of cart 1 right after the collision if the collision is elastic?
Suppose that the initial speed of cart 2 is vv. If the impact is elastic, Cart 1's immediate post-contact speed is;
a) v₁ = ¹/₃u₁
b) v₁ = ²/₃u₁
c) v₁ = ¹/₃u₁
Answer:
The speed of cart 1 right after the collision, in the case of an elastic collision, is v₁ = ¹/₃u₁. This means that the speed of cart 1 is one-third of its initial speed after the collision.
When analyzing an elastic collision scenario between two carts with different speeds and inertias, we can use the equations of conservation of momentum to determine the post-collision speed of the carts.
Given that Cart 1 has a speed twice that of Cart 2 and Cart 2 has twice the inertia of Cart 1, we can set up equations based on conservation of momentum and solve for the speed of Cart 1 after the collision.
By plugging in the given values and applying the conservation of momentum equations, we can derive that the speed of Cart 1 right after the collision in an elastic scenario is v₁ = ¹/₃u₁.