When Spaceship 1 and spaceship 2 have equal masses of 200 kg spaceship 1 has a speed of 0ms and spaceship 2 has a speed of 6 ms they collide and stick together What is her speed?

Answer 1

To find the speed of the combined masses after the collision, we can use the conservation of momentum. The initial momentum of the system is given by the momentum of spaceship 2, since spaceship 1 is at rest: ( p_{initial} = m_2 \cdot v_2 = 200 , \text{kg} \cdot 6 , \text{m/s} = 1200 , \text{kg m/s} ). After the collision, the two spaceships stick together, so their combined mass is ( 200 , \text{kg} + 200 , \text{kg} = 400 , \text{kg} ). Using the conservation of momentum, ( p_{initial} = p_{final} ), we have ( 1200 , \text{kg m/s} = 400 , \text{kg} \cdot v_{final} ), leading to ( v_{final} = 3 , \text{m/s} ).