A railroad car of mass 2.49x104 kg is moving with a speed of 3.92 m/s. It collides and couples with three other coupled railroad cars, each of the same mass as the single car and moving in the same direction with an initial speed of 1.96 m/s. What is the speed of the four cars after the collision? (Round your answer to at least two decimal places.) How much mechanical energy is lost in the collision?
A railroad car of mass 2.49x104 kg is moving with a speed of 3.92 m/s. It collides and couples with three other coupled railroad cars, each of the same mass as the single car and moving in the same direction with an initial speed of 1.96 m/s.
What is the speed of the four cars after the collision? (Round your answer to at least two decimal places.)
How much mechanical energy is lost in the collision?
Conservation of momentum states that when no external force is applied, the initial and final momentum are the same during collision. That means the momentum remains constant. Initial velocity of single railroad car is given. Initial velocity of 3 coupled rail road car is also given. We can find the final velocity of coupled 4 railroad cars. We can hence find the change in kinetic energy which will be the mechanical energy lost.
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