---
title: "A student performs several experiments in which two carts collide as they travel along a horizontal surface. Cart X and Cart Y both have a mass of \\( 1 \\) \\( \\text{kg} \\). Data collected from the three experiments are shown in the table above. During which experiment does the center of mass of the system of two carts have the greatest change in its momentum?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/91370/"
date_modified: "2025-05-08T01:20:20+00:00"
---

# A student performs several experiments in which two carts collide as they travel along a horizontal surface. Cart X and Cart Y both have a mass of \( 1 \) \( \text{kg} \). Data collected from the three experiments are shown in the table above. During which experiment does the center of mass of the system of two carts have the greatest change in its momentum?

| Experiment | Initial Velocity of Cart X \( (\text{m/s}) \) | Initial Velocity of Cart Y \( (\text{m/s}) \) | Final Velocity of Cart X \( (\text{m/s}) \) | Final Velocity of Cart Y \( (\text{m/s}) \) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| \( 1 \) | \( 1 \) | \( 0 \) | \( 0 \) | \( 1 \) |
| \( 2 \) | \( 1 \) | \( -1 \) | \( -1 \) | \( 1 \) |
| \( 3 \) | \( 2 \) | \( 1 \) | \( 1 \) | \( 2 \) |

A student performs several experiments in which two carts collide as they travel along a horizontal surface. Cart X and Cart Y both have a mass of \( 1 \) \( \text{kg} \). Data collected from the three experiments are shown in the table above. During which experiment does the center of mass of the system of two carts have the greatest change in its momentum?

- **A.** Experiment \( 1 \)
- **B.** Experiment \( 2 \)
- **C.** Experiment \( 3 \)
- **D.** All experiments have the same change in momentum for the center of mass of the system of two carts.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/91370/*