Car 1 has a of mass 1000kg and is going at 20m/s. Car 2 has the same mass as Car 1 and is stationary. If they collide and travel together as one unit in the same direction as Car 1 was going, calculate the speed of the unit after the collision.

By Conservation of Momentum

Total Momentum Before= Total Momentum After

thus

m1v1+m2v2=(m1+m2)v3

Plugging in the numbers and re-arranging for v3 gives

100020+10000=2000*v3

v3=(1000*20)/2000=10m/s

AH
Answered by Aamir H. Physics tutor

15790 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How can an object accelerate without changing speed?


If a ball is thrown at a velocity of 5m/s, what height does it reach?


An elastic wire suspended from a workbench has a 2kg mass attached to its free end. The wire changes in length by 2cm. Calculate the elastic potential energy stored in the wire.


The focal length of the lens is 10 cm. Calculate the power of the lens. State the unit.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning