A car of mass 998 kilograms moving in the positive y-axis at a speed of 20 meters/second collides on ice with another car of mass 1,200 kilograms moving in the negative x direction with a speed of 17 meters/second. After the collision, the cars stick and move together. What is the total momentum in the x direction before the collision?

Question

anonymous · Answer

Wait, it wants the momentum in X before the collision?

anonymous · Answer

i really dont know /.\

anonymous · Answer

im guessingthats wat its asking

anonymous · Answer

Okay, well before the collision there is only one car moving in the x-direction. The car moving in the y-direction does not contribute any momentum in the x-direction.

Since momentum is just mass times velocity, you just need to consider this product for the car moving in the x-direction.

anonymous · Answer

i keep on getting 20400...but none of my answer choices have that :/ am i doing it wrong?

anonymous · Answer

ohhh nvrm lol i got it,thank you for taking your time to answer :)