The mass of glider X is 0.2kg and its velocity is 1.5m/s to the right.
The mass of glider Y is 0.3kg and it is stationary.
When glider X collides with glider Y they move off together.
Calculate the velocity of the gliders after the collision and give their direction.
conservation of momentum
massX*1.5= (massX+MassY)V
solve for velocity V
To calculate the velocity of the gliders after the collision, we need to apply the law of conservation of momentum. According to this law, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.
Momentum is defined as the product of an object's mass and its velocity. Mathematically, momentum (p) can be calculated as p = m * v, where m represents the mass of the object and v represents its velocity.
Before the collision, the momentum of the glider X can be calculated as pX = mX * vX, where mX is the mass of glider X and vX is its velocity. Similarly, the momentum of glider Y before the collision is zero since it is stationary.
After the collision, the two gliders move off together with a common velocity, denoted as v_final. To find the velocity after the collision, we can use the conservation of momentum equation:
p_initial = p_final
Since the momentum of glider Y before the collision is zero, we can write the equation as:
pX_initial + pY_initial = (mX + mY) * v_final
Substituting the known values, we have:
(mX * vX) + (0) = (mX + mY) * v_final
Simplifying the equation further:
mX * vX = (mX + mY) * v_final
Plugging in the given values:
(0.2 kg * 1.5 m/s) = (0.2 kg + 0.3 kg) * v_final
Now, we can solve for v_final:
0.3 kg * v_final = 0.5 kg * m/s
v_final = (0.5 kg * m/s) / 0.3 kg
v_final = 1.67 m/s
Therefore, the velocity of the gliders after the collision is 1.67 m/s to the right.