Two vehicles are approaching an intersection perpendicular to each other. One vehicle has a mass of 1,125 kg and is traveling at 75.0 km/h. The other vehicle has a mass of 1,575 kg and is traveling at 60.0 km/h. What is the magnitude of the momentum after an inelastic collision?
@mathmate

Question

Two vehicles are approaching an intersection perpendicular to each other. One vehicle has a mass of 1,125 kg and is traveling at 75.0 km/h. The other vehicle has a mass of 1,575 kg and is traveling at 60.0 km/h. What is the magnitude of the momentum after an inelastic collision?
@mathmate

mathmate · Answer

Hints:
1. For inelastic collisions, m1u1+m2u2=(m1+m2)v
u1, u2=velicities before impact
v=common velocity after inelastic collision.
2. Momentum is a vector quantity, so calculate momentum in each orthogonal (perpendicular) direction and add the two components vectorially to find the magnitude.