A 10,000 Kg railroad car, traveling at a speed of 24 m/s stikes an identical car, at rest.If the cars locked together as a result of the collision, how much of the initial kinetic energy is transformed to thermal or other forms of energy?
Vf=12m/s
To determine the amount of initial kinetic energy transformed to thermal or other forms of energy in the collision, we need to calculate the total initial kinetic energy of the system and the final kinetic energy of the system after the collision.
1. Total initial kinetic energy:
The kinetic energy (KE) of an object can be calculated using the formula:
KE = 0.5 * mass * velocity^2
For the first car:
Mass (m1) = 10,000 kg
Velocity (v1) = 24 m/s
KE1 = 0.5 * m1 * v1^2
For the second car (at rest):
Mass (m2) = 10,000 kg
Velocity (v2) = 0 m/s
KE2 = 0.5 * m2 * v2^2
= 0
So, the total initial kinetic energy (KE_initial) of the system is given by:
KE_initial = KE1 + KE2
= KE1 + 0
= KE1
2. Final kinetic energy:
After the cars lock together, they will move as a single combined mass. Since they have the same mass, the final velocity of the combined mass will be the average of their initial velocities.
The combined mass (M) is the sum of the individual masses:
M = m1 + m2
= 10,000 kg + 10,000 kg
= 20,000 kg
The final velocity (v_final) of the combined mass is the average of their initial velocities:
v_final = (v1 + v2) / 2
= (24 m/s + 0 m/s) / 2
= 12 m/s
The final kinetic energy (KE_final) of the system is given by:
KE_final = 0.5 * M * v_final^2
Now, to calculate the amount of initial kinetic energy transformed to thermal or other forms of energy, we subtract the final kinetic energy from the initial kinetic energy:
Energy transformed = KE_initial - KE_final
Keep in mind that in real-world scenarios, not all of the kinetic energy may be transformed into other forms. Some kinetic energy might be conserved or lost due to external factors such as friction or deformation.