Understanding Inelastic Collisions: Mass Conservation

What happens to the mass of Cart 2 in a perfectly inelastic collision?

A. The mass of Cart 2 must be twice the mass of Cart 1.

B. The mass of Cart 2 must have decreased during the collision.

C. The mass of Cart 2 must be one third the mass of Cart 1.

D. The mass of Cart 2 must be the same as the mass of Cart 1.

[Option (A)  the mass of Cart 2 is twice that of the mass of Cart 1 is the right answer.]

Answer:

A. The mass of Cart 2 must be twice the mass of Cart 1.

When Cart 1 has an initial velocity and hits Cart 2 in a perfectly inelastic collision, the combined carts move with one third of Cart 1's initial velocity and in the same direction. The mass of Cart 2 can be determined using the conservation of momentum.

By using the given variables and equations, we can find that the mass of Cart 2 is twice the mass of Cart 1. This demonstrates that in a perfectly inelastic collision, the mass of Cart 2 must be twice the mass of Cart 1.