Inelastic Collisions Video Lessons

Example

# Problem: Two cars collide at an icy intersection and stick together afterward. The first car has a mass of 1200 kg and is approaching at 8.00 m/s due south. The second car has a mass of 850 kg and is approaching at 17.0 m/s due west. The final velocity is 8.46 m/s directed at 235°.How much kinetic energy is lost in the collision? (This energy goes into deformation of the cars.)

###### FREE Expert Solution

Kinetic energy:

$\overline{){\mathbf{K}}{\mathbf{=}}\frac{\mathbf{1}}{\mathbf{2}}{{\mathbf{mv}}}^{{\mathbf{2}}}}$

Using energy conservation:

Ki = Kf + ΔE

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###### Problem Details

Two cars collide at an icy intersection and stick together afterward. The first car has a mass of 1200 kg and is approaching at 8.00 m/s due south. The second car has a mass of 850 kg and is approaching at 17.0 m/s due west. The final velocity is 8.46 m/s directed at 235°.

How much kinetic energy is lost in the collision? (This energy goes into deformation of the cars.)

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