A 10 kg cart was observed moving north with a speed of 15 m/s before it collided with an identical cart moving south at 10 m/s. The collision was observed to cause the carts to couple and move together as one. What is in kg m/s the combined momentum of both carts before the collision?

To find the combined momentum of the carts before the collision, you need to calculate the momentum of each cart separately, and then add them together.

Momentum (p) is defined as the product of an object's mass (m) and its velocity (v). The formula for momentum is:

p = m * v

For the first cart:
Mass (m1) = 10 kg
Velocity (v1) = 15 m/s

p1 = m1 * v1
p1 = 10 kg * 15 m/s
p1 = 150 kg m/s

For the second cart:
Mass (m2) = 10 kg (same as the first cart)
Velocity (v2) = -10 m/s (since it is moving south, the velocity is negative)

p2 = m2 * v2
p2 = 10 kg * (-10 m/s)
p2 = -100 kg m/s

Note: The negative sign in the second equation indicates the opposite direction of the velocity.

Now, to find the combined momentum (p_total), you simply add the momenta of the two carts:

p_total = p1 + p2
p_total = 150 kg m/s + (-100 kg m/s)
p_total = 50 kg m/s

Therefore, the combined momentum of both carts before the collision is 50 kg m/s.