Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A trolley of mass runs at into a trolley of mass at rest. They stick together.
Conservation of momentum. If no outside force acts on a system, its total momentum stays the same:
Bodies that stick together move off with one common velocity.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. , , , .
Plan. Momentum is conserved in the collision. Kinetic energy is not, when bodies stick.
Step 1. Common speed. , so .
Step 2. Energy before. .
Step 3. Energy after. .
Step 4. Lost. .
Answer: (a) . (b) About , turned into heat and sound.
Check. The speed after is less than before, and the energy lost is less than the energy we started with. Both make sense.
Watch out. Do not conserve kinetic energy here. Only momentum is always conserved in a collision.
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