Two cars are going in opposite direction and collide head on in a road accident. If one car has a mass of 1,000 kg and is traveling at 15 m/s and the other car has a mass of 1,200 kg and is traveling at a speed of -10 m/s, what is the speed of the two car

The total momentum of the system before the collision is the sum of the momentum of each car, which is given by mass times velocity. Total momentum before collision = (1000 kg)(15 m/s) + (1200 kg)(-10 m/s) Total momentum before collision = 15000 - 12000 Total momentum before collision = 3000 kg m/s Since the two cars stick together after the collision, they move as one unit with a combined mass of 1000 + 1200 = 2200 kg. Using the principle of conservation of momentum, total momentum before the collision is equal to total momentum after the collision. Total momentum before collision = Total momentum after collision 3000 kg m/s = 2200 kg x V (where V is the velocity of the combined system after the collision) V = 3000 kg m/s / 2200 kg V = 1.36 m/s Therefore, the speed of the two cars after the collision is 1.36 m/s in the direction of the car with more mass before the collision.