A 400 g cart is moving along a horizontal, frictionless surface at a constant speed of 30 cm/s. A 100 g piece of modelling clay is dropped vertically onto the cart from above. (a) Calculate the final speed of the system (clay + cart) if the clay sticks to the cart. (b) The cart has been slowed down a little bit after the clay sticks to the cart. What type of force caused the (negative) acceleration of the cart? What object applied this force? (c) Before it hit the cart the clay was moving downwards and therefore possessed downwards momentum; after it hit the cart it stopped moving downwards. Why was the clay’s momentum not conserved as it hit the cart? What type of force caused the clay to stop moving downwards? What object now possesses the clay’s downwards momentum?
A 400 g cart is moving along a horizontal, frictionless surface at a constant speed of
30 cm/s. A 100 g piece of modelling clay is dropped vertically onto the cart from above.
(a) Calculate the final speed of the system (clay + cart) if the clay sticks to the cart.
(b) The cart has been slowed down a little bit after the clay sticks to the cart. What
type of force caused the (negative) acceleration of the cart? What object applied this force?
(c) Before it hit the cart the clay was moving downwards and therefore possessed
downwards momentum; after it hit the cart it stopped moving downwards. Why was the
clay’s momentum not conserved as it hit the cart? What type of force caused the clay to stop
moving downwards? What object now possesses the clay’s downwards momentum?
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