A car with mass 1.50*10^3 kg traveling east at a speed of 25.0 m/scollides at an intersection with a 2.50*10^3 kg van traveling northat a speed of 20.0 m/s, as shown in the figure. Find the magnitudeand direction of the velocity of the wreckage after the collision,assuming that the vehicles undergo a perfectly inelastic collision(that is, they stick together) and assuming that friction betweenthe vehicles and the road can be neglected.
It's also possible to first find the x- and y-components vfx andvfy of the resultant velocity. The magnitude and direction of theresultant velocity can then be found with the Pythagorean theorem,vf = vvfx2 + vfy2, and the inverse tangent function ? = tan-1(vfy/vfx). Setting up this alternate approach is a simple matter ofsubstituting vfx = vf cos ? and vfy = vf sin ? in Equations (1) and(2).
Question If the car and van had identical mass and speed, whatwould the resultant angle have been?
A car with mass 1.50*10^3 kg traveling east at a speed of 25.0 m/scollides at an intersection with a 2.50*10^3 kg van traveling northat a speed of 20.0 m/s, as shown in the figure. Find the magnitudeand direction of the velocity of the wreckage after the collision,assuming that the vehicles undergo a perfectly inelastic collision(that is, they stick together) and assuming that friction betweenthe vehicles and the road can be neglected.
It's also possible to first find the x- and y-components vfx andvfy of the resultant velocity. The magnitude and direction of theresultant velocity can then be found with the Pythagorean theorem,vf = vvfx2 + vfy2, and the inverse tangent function ? = tan-1(vfy/vfx). Setting up this alternate approach is a simple matter ofsubstituting vfx = vf cos ? and vfy = vf sin ? in Equations (1) and(2).
Question If the car and van had identical mass and speed, whatwould the resultant angle have been?
