Two comets, each of mass 6500 kg and traveling 88 m/s in opposite directions, collide head-on and come to rest. How much energy is produced in this collision?

nevermind, figured it out

To calculate the energy produced in the collision, we need to use the principle of conservation of kinetic energy. The initial kinetic energy of the two comets will be equal to the final kinetic energy, which is zero since they come to rest after the collision.

The formula for kinetic energy is:

KE = (1/2) * mass * velocity^2

First, let's calculate the initial kinetic energy for each comet.

KE_initial = (1/2) * mass * velocity^2
= (1/2) * 6500 kg * (88 m/s)^2

Since the two comets are traveling in opposite directions, the total initial kinetic energy is the sum of the kinetic energy of the first comet and the kinetic energy of the second comet.

Total KE_initial = 2 * KE_initial

Next, let's calculate the energy produced in the collision, which can be found by subtracting the final kinetic energy from the initial kinetic energy.

Energy produced = Total KE_initial - Final KE
= Total KE_initial - 0

Finally, we can solve for the energy produced:

Energy produced = 2 * KE_initial

Now, substitute the values into the formula to calculate the energy produced in the collision.