Calculate Connie's Post-Collision Speed

Question:

Two bumper cars with different masses collide. Connie's car is moving at 3.12 m/s and Bonnie's car is at rest initially. After the collision, Bonnie's car moves forward at 1.32 m/s. Connie's mass is 70 kg while Bonnie's is 82 kg. What is the post-collision speed of Connie's car?

Answer:

The post-collision speed of Connie's car is determined using the conservation of momentum principle. By applying this principle, we find that Connie's car moves at approximately 1.92 m/s after the collision.

Explanation:

Conservation of Momentum:

The conservation of momentum principle states that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant if there are no external forces acting on it. In this case, since no external force is present during the collision of the two bumper cars, we can apply this principle to solve the problem.

Initial Momentum:

Before the collision, only Connie's car with a mass of 112 kg and a velocity of 3.12 m/s has momentum. The momentum can be calculated by multiplying the mass and velocity, resulting in 349.44 kg m/s.

Final Momentum:

After the collision, both Connie's and Bonnie's cars are in motion. We need to find Connie's post-collision speed. Using the conservation of momentum, we can set up an equation to equate the initial and final momentums.

Equation:

Initial momentum = Final momentum

112 kg * 3.12 m/s = 112 kg * post-collision speed of Connie's car + 82 kg * 1.32 m/s

Solution:

By solving the equation above, we find that the post-collision speed of Connie's car is approximately 1.92 m/s.