A vehicle is traveling west with a momentum of 1,800 kg•m/s. A second vehicle is traveling east with a momentum of 1,200 kg•m/s. The vehicles collide.
What is the total momentum of the system after the two cars collide?
A. 600 kg•m/s westward
B. 1,200 kg•m/s westward
C. 1,800 kg•m/s westward
D. 3,000 kg•m/s westward
I think the answer is A.
Momentum before = momentum after.
M1*V1 + M2*V2 = -1800 + 1200 = -600 kg*m/s. = 600 kg*m/s Westward.
To solve this problem, we need to consider the law of conservation of momentum, which states that the total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, assuming no external forces act on the system.
First, let's calculate the total momentum before the collision. The momentum of the first vehicle traveling west is given as 1,800 kg•m/s. The momentum of the second vehicle traveling east is given as 1,200 kg•m/s.
To find the total momentum before the collision, we add the individual momenta together:
Total momentum before collision = momentum of first vehicle + momentum of second vehicle
Total momentum before collision = 1,800 kg•m/s (west) + 1,200 kg•m/s (east)
The eastward and westward momenta cancel each other out, resulting in a net momentum of zero before the collision.
Now, let's determine the total momentum after the collision. Since the question does not provide any information about the interaction between the two vehicles, we assume an perfectly elastic collision, in which the total kinetic energy of the system is conserved.
In an elastic collision, the total momentum after the collision is equal to the total momentum before the collision:
Total momentum after collision = Total momentum before collision
Therefore, the total momentum after the collision is zero, since the total momentum before the collision was also zero.
Based on this analysis, the correct answer is not listed among the options provided. The correct answer should be "None of the above" since the total momentum after the collision is zero, not any of the westward values given in options A, B, C, or D.