---
title: "Two carts on a horizontal, frictionless surface collide in two separate trials. The carts form an isolated system. Data recorded before and after each collision are shown in the table.  | Trial | Total Initial Kinetic Energy | Total Final Kinetic Energy | Observation After Collision | |—|—|—|—| | 1 | \\(12\\text{ J}\\) | \\(12\\text{ J}\\) | Carts bounce apart | | 2 | \\(16\\text{ J}\\) | \\(6\\text{ J}\\) | Carts stick together |  Which row in the table correctly classifies each collision and states whether the total linear momentum of the two-cart system is conserved?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/120721/"
date_modified: "2026-08-23T04:42:50+00:00"
---

# Two carts on a horizontal, frictionless surface collide in two separate trials. The carts form an isolated system. Data recorded before and after each collision are shown in the table.

| Trial | Total Initial Kinetic Energy | Total Final Kinetic Energy | Observation After Collision |
|—|—|—|—|
| 1 | \(12\text{ J}\) | \(12\text{ J}\) | Carts bounce apart |
| 2 | \(16\text{ J}\) | \(6\text{ J}\) | Carts stick together |

Which row in the table correctly classifies each collision and states whether the total linear momentum of the two-cart system is conserved?

Two carts on a horizontal, frictionless surface collide in two separate trials. The carts form an isolated system. Data recorded before and after each collision are shown in the table.

| Trial | Total Initial Kinetic Energy | Total Final Kinetic Energy | Observation After Collision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(12\text{ J}\) | \(12\text{ J}\) | Carts bounce apart |
| 2 | \(16\text{ J}\) | \(6\text{ J}\) | Carts stick together |

Which row in the table correctly classifies each collision and states whether the total linear momentum of the two-cart system is conserved?

- **A.** | Trial 1 Collision | Trial 2 Collision | Total Linear Momentum | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Inelastic | Perfectly inelastic | Conserved in both trials |
- **B.** | Trial 1 Collision | Trial 2 Collision | Total Linear Momentum | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Elastic | Perfectly inelastic | Conserved in both trials |
- **C.** | Trial 1 Collision | Trial 2 Collision | Total Linear Momentum | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Elastic | Perfectly inelastic | Conserved only in Trial 1 |
- **D.** | Trial 1 Collision | Trial 2 Collision | Total Linear Momentum | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Inelastic | Elastic | Conserved in both trials |

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/120721/*