5.5 Inelastic collisions in one dimension  (Page 3/7)

Calculating final velocity and energy release: two carts collide

In the collision pictured in [link] , two carts collide inelastically. Cart 1 (denoted $m_1$ carries a spring which is initially compressed. During the collision, the spring releases its potential energy and converts it to internal kinetic energy. The mass of cart 1 and the spring is 0.350 kg, and the cart and the spring together have an initial velocity of $2\text{.}\text{00 m/s}$ . Cart 2 (denoted $m_2$ in [link] ) has a mass of 0.500 kg and an initial velocity of $-0\text{.}\text{500 m/s}$ . After the collision, cart 1 is observed to recoil with a velocity of $-4\text{.}\text{00 m/s}$ . (a) What is the final velocity of cart 2? (b) How much energy was released by the spring (assuming all of it was converted into internal kinetic energy)?

Strategy

We can use conservation of momentum to find the final velocity of cart 2, because $F_{\text{net}}=0$ (the track is frictionless and the force of the spring is internal). Once this velocity is determined, we can compare the internal kinetic energy before and after the collision to see how much energy was released by the spring.

Solution for (a)

As before, the equation for conservation of momentum in a two-object system is

The only unknown in this equation is ${v\prime }_2$ . Solving for ${v\prime }_2$ and substituting known values into the previous equation yields

Solution for (b)

The internal kinetic energy before the collision is

After the collision, the internal kinetic energy is

The change in internal kinetic energy is thus

Discussion

The final velocity of cart 2 is large and positive, meaning that it is moving to the right after the collision. The internal kinetic energy in this collision increases by 5.46 J. That energy was released by the spring.