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AP Physics 1
4.3 Conservation of Linear Momentum
IntermediateMCQMathematicalProportional Analysis15.7k
Initial configuration of the two train cars before collision.
Initial configuration of the two train cars before collision.
Two train cars, each of mass \(M\), travel toward each other on a horizontal, frictionless track. In the first scenario, car 1 moves to the right with speed \(v\) and car 2 moves to the left with speed \(0.5v\). The cars collide and lock together. In a second scenario, car 1 is instead launched to the right with speed \(2v\) while car 2 still moves to the left with speed \(0.5v\). What is the ratio of the final speed of the coupled cars in the second scenario to the final speed of the coupled cars in the first scenario?

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