Understanding the Concepts
* Momentum: Momentum is a measure of an object's mass in motion. It's calculated by:
* Momentum (p) = mass (m) * velocity (v)
* Conservation of Momentum: In an isolated system (where no external forces act), the total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.
Solving the Problem
1. Initial Momentum:
* Car 1 (at rest): p1 = 0 (since its velocity is 0)
* Car 2: p2 = m2 * v2 = 1000 kg * 10 m/s = 10000 kg*m/s
2. Total Initial Momentum:
* Total initial momentum (pi) = p1 + p2 = 0 + 10000 kg*m/s = 10000 kg*m/s
3. Final Momentum:
* The two cars stick together, so they now have a combined mass (m) = 1000 kg + 1000 kg = 2000 kg
* Let their final velocity be 'v'
4. Conservation of Momentum:
* Total initial momentum = Total final momentum
* pi = pf
* 10000 kg*m/s = 2000 kg * v
5. Solving for Final Velocity:
* v = 10000 kg*m/s / 2000 kg = 5 m/s
Answer: The final speed of the two cars moving together is 5 m/s.
