Car A with a mass of 1250 kg, is traveling at 30 m/s to the east. Car B is a truck with a mass of 2000 kg, traveling to the west at 25 m/s. assume these two vehicles experience an inelastic collision but do not stick together, and car A goes off 10 m/s to the west. what will be the resulting velocity of car B?

Isn't this just the conservation of momentum?

yes I have problems figuring out formula.

m₁v₁-m₂v₂=-m₁u₁+m₂u₂

u₂= (m₁v₁-m₂v₂+m₁u₁)/m₂=
=(1250•30-2000•25+1250•10)/2000 = 0

To find the resulting velocity of Car B, we can use the principle of conservation of momentum. In an inelastic collision, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.

Step 1: Calculate the initial momentum before the collision.
Momentum is calculated by multiplying the mass of an object by its velocity. The momentum of Car A is given by:
Momentum of Car A = mass of Car A * velocity of Car A
= 1250 kg * 30 m/s
= 37500 kg·m/s (to the east)

Similarly, the momentum of Car B is given by:
Momentum of Car B = mass of Car B * velocity of Car B
= 2000 kg * (-25 m/s) (Note: The velocity of Car B is negative since it is traveling in the opposite direction)
= -50000 kg·m/s (to the west)

The negative sign indicates that the velocity is in the opposite direction.

Step 2: Calculate the final momentum after the collision.
Since the cars experience an inelastic collision but do not stick together, we need to consider the direction of the final momentum. Given that Car A goes off with a velocity of 10 m/s to the west (opposite direction), we can calculate its momentum:
Momentum of Car A after collision = mass of Car A * velocity of Car A after collision
= 1250 kg * (-10 m/s)
= -12500 kg·m/s (to the west)

Step 3: Apply the principle of conservation of momentum. Sum of the initial momenta before the collision is equal to the sum of the final momenta after the collision.
Momentum before collision = Momentum after collision
(37500 kg·m/s) + (-50000 kg·m/s) = (-12500 kg·m/s) + (final momentum of Car B)

Step 4: Solve for the final momentum of Car B.
final momentum of Car B = (37500 kg·m/s) + (-50000 kg·m/s) - (-12500 kg·m/s)
= 2500 kg·m/s (to the west)

Finally, the resulting velocity of Car B can be found by dividing the final momentum by its mass:
Resulting velocity of Car B = final momentum of Car B / mass of Car B
= 2500 kg·m/s / 2000 kg
= 1.25 m/s (to the west)

Therefore, the resulting velocity of Car B after the collision would be 1.25 m/s in the westward direction.