Mechanics: Momentum and Collisions

Momentum and Collisions: Audio Guided Solution

Problem 31:

The city police are in pursuit of Robin Banks after his recent holdup at the savings and loan. The high speed police chase ends at an intersection as a 2080-kg Ford Explorer (driven by Robin) traveling north at 32.6 m/s collides with a 18400-kg garbage truck moving east at 12.4 m/s. The Explorer and the garbage truck entangle together in the middle of the intersection and move as a single object. Determine the post-collision speed and direction of the two entangled vehicles.

Audio Guided Solution

Habits of an Effective Problem Solver

• Read the problem carefully and develop a mental picture of the physical situation. If necessary, sketch a simple diagram of the physical situation to help you visualize it.
• Identify the known and unknown quantities in an organized manner. Equate given values to the symbols used to represent the corresponding quantity - e.g., m = 1.50 kg, v_i = 2.68 m/s,  F = 4.98 N, t = 0.133 s, v_f = ???.
• Use physics formulas and conceptual reasoning to plot a strategy for solving for the unknown quantity.
• Identify the appropriate formula(s) to use.
• Perform substitutions and algebraic manipulations in order to solve for the unknown quantity.

Read About It!

Get more information on the topic of Momentum and Collisions at The Physics Classroom Tutorial.

• Momentum Conservation Principle
• Isolated Systems
• Collision Analysis
• Vector Addition

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