An object of mass 2kg moving with a velocity 3ms-11 collides head-on with another object of mass 1kg moving in the opposite direction with a velocity of 4ms...

An object of mass 2kg moving with a velocity 3ms^-11 collides head-on with another object of mass 1kg moving in the opposite direction with a velocity of 4ms^-1. If the objects stick together after collision, calculate their common speed.

Answer Details

In a head-on collision of two objects, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision. The equation for this is: m1v1i + m2v2i = (m1 + m2)vf where m1 and v1i are the mass and initial velocity of the first object, m2 and v2i are the mass and initial velocity of the second object, and vf is the final velocity of the combined objects. Plugging in the values given: (2 kg)(3 m/s) + (1 kg)(-4 m/s) = (2 kg + 1 kg) vf 6 kg·m/s - 4 kg·m/s = 3 kg vf 2 kg·m/s = 3 kg vf vf = 2/3 m/s Therefore, the common speed of the objects after the collision is 0.67 m/s. Answer: 0.67ms^-1.