PHYS 2210 - Fall 2015 GALI Solutions Problem 1 Awomobile Collision ‘Your friend has just been in a traffic accident and is trying to negotiate with the insurance company of the other driver to pay for fixing her car. She believes that the other car was speeding and therefore thatthe uecident was the other driver's fault. She knows that you are taking Physics 2210, so she asks you for help in proving her conjectute, She takes you out to the scene and describes wirat happened. She was traveling north when she entered the fateful intersection, There was no stop sign, so she looked in bot directions and did not see another car approaching. It was a bright, sunny, clear day. When she reached the center of the intersection, her car was struck by the other car which Was traveling east. The two cars remained joined together after the collision and skidded to stop, The speed limit on both roads entering the intersection was 80 kmvhr-From the skid marks still visible on the street, you determine that afte the collision the ears skidded 17_m at an angle of 30> north of east before stopping. She has a copy of the police report which gives the year and make of each car. At the library you determine thatthe weight of her car was 1,200 kg and that ofthe other car was 1,000 kg, including tho weight ofthe driver in each case. The coefficient of kinetic friction for a rubber tte skidding on dry pavement is ‘0.80. It is not enough to prove that the other driver was spoeding to convince the insurance company. She must also show that she was under the speed limit. How do you advise her? Solution 1. Understand the Problem: ‘Two cars collide in an intersection, stick together, and leave skid marks as they come to e stop. Based on the length of the skid marks, the angle of the skid marks, the coefficient of friction, the mases, and the fact, that the cars stick together, we are tasked to determine the initial speed of your friend’s car. IL. Describe the Physics: ‘To make the estimate, we consider the ears as one system, Before the force of friction acts on the two ears (just after the collision, there are only intemal forees and therefore the momentum of the two ears is conserved. By determining the speed of the cars just after the collision (using the length of skid marks and the coefficient of friction), we ean determine the momentum of the two cars (since the collision is, inelastic, kinetic energy is not conserved). With the known initial trajectories of the two cars and the angle of the skid marks, we can therefore determine the momentum (and speed) of each car Woiial ee Ax TR skids before stop O86IIL. Plan the Solution: ‘The speed of the two cars may be determined through the principle of conservation of momentum (note the vector nature of momentum): = ‘ R=7 » MyBy + mgDe = (My + meV ay Where N and E denote the directions north and east and Vis the speed of the cars just after the collision. ‘Noting the angle of the skid marks, the north component of momentum is: myiy = (my +mp)V sind ae Since all the north component of momentum is from the friend’s car, the velocity on the left side of the above equation, vy, is what we compare with the speed limit. To find the initial speed just after the collision, V, we may use either the work-kinetic energy theorem or ‘Newton’s Sccond Law and kinematic equations. Here we employ the work-kinetic energy theorem W=AK uw) ‘The forve of friction applies a constant force over a distance Ax so: 1 fbx = 5 (my +m, cs) tuComy + mg) gx = te) So the speed of the cars just after the collision is (4) 2g Ox Now we have sufficient information to solve for the speed of your friend's car. We may also exchange the sine funtion for a cosine function (and mass) to find the speed of the other car. IV. Execute the Solution Using the above relationships we arrive at an equation for the speed of the ear, plug-in values, convert the ‘units, and compare to the speed limit: From ©) and (4) % = monte So, Lg Ox Sin Y= ("20 Oka -1000 3) (toast eS (1% wy" gin 30° \200 by, - tee 2 63.4 thw To 0499 AY SEY \ =[ 63.4 H/o | EI “ALL 2015 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH3 Seoue Vy = SY b/ay < BO belay $e Friend was not speeding = However V = (MP) Tage cosQ= V2 Ve > BOY pr, +h bth Avivey was Speedma V. Evaluate the Solution Given the observations at the scene and some approximation, we calculate that the friend’s car was moving at 54 km/hr (under the speed limit of 80 km/hr), which provides a compelling case to the insurance company. On the other hand, the other car, moving at 112 knv/hr, wes nearly 50% above the speed limit! Problem 2 Elastic collision Initially, block 1 with mass m, = I kg is moving on a frietionless table with velocity v) = | m/s to the right and block 2 with mass m: = 0.5 kg is at rest. Block | collides elastically with block 2. (a) Find the velocities of block 1 and block 2 after the collision. (b) After the collision between the blocks, block 2 collides elastically with a wall. What impulse does the wall give to block 2? Solution I. Understand the Problem: ‘Our task, in part (a), is to determine the final speed of a block in an elastic collision, Since the collision is elastic, we know that both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. After the collision between the blocks, the second block, initially at rest, collides with a well, again elastically, and in part (b) we calculate the impulse delivered to the block. Il, Describe the Physics: Since there are no extemal forces, the momentum of the two-block system is conserved. ‘Thus, we may ‘write equations for both conservation of momentum and conservation of kinetic energy. This system of equations allows us to determine the final velocities ofthe blocks. In part (b), we must find the change in momentum of the block, which is equal to the impulse delivered. +x 3 ils oe a (lo) yaz0 Vo, Ven ? —> —S inital ater collision PHYS 2210 FALL 2015 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH,IIL Plan the Selution: First is identifying the physical principles we use to determine the solution—conservation of momentum and conservation of Kinotic energy Ramp a) Ky = Ky a) Soar maby + mgd, = mya + mai ) Soma 8] +5 mele = Sma] +5 mal oe Where the subscript f denotes the final velocities. Since the second block is at rest initially (v2= 0): by = mata + mate re) eF ei a2 1 tee gale] = 5mlifal +5™l Fal (6) ‘Using these two principles we arrive at a system of two equations with two unknowns. As for part (b), we calculate the impulse delivered on block 2 by the wall, which is just the change of ‘momentum: Impulse = a3 Since the mass is constant: Impulse = m,43 Note the vector nature of momentum—a change in direction is a change in momentum, Since the collision is elastic, we know that the initial and final speed is the same, but the velocity has changed, So: Impulse = mai, ~¥) IV. Execute the Solution Solving ag | Vet onnet plog-in te og. (6) 7 Mee iter ma, \ + “WaNe-\*, 3 z ZMM = fam, (men es) + 41 Ne2 2 me ‘ solve fov Vp a a 2 zt mv," = (mV, -10,¥6,2) + M2 Veo PHYS 2210 FALL 2015 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH.t 2 2/2 . mm aN +My Ven = 2 mM {V,Vpa + wi ike 20 ae te Ms ne Ni _ (Aludfosirs) (ibpo.5H4) +(0:5kg) ) —_— 71 a va= roy = Ws pe Nex inte ®), soWwe for Vey Vg = I Se 2 UME = Costa NY 6) 2 y 2 Veg cheek Comsevvation of F and K P= Cerne) = \ kgs Pe= CERCA) + SEN) = bye V Ke EOD = eT Ke= ECE MAY » 4 (OSC Ys Y= Ya r(UaN'%) (impulse = wal venVs) Int he = ¥ impulse = mCH/s = (4%/5)) = (OStgE%s) = % = [% 4 “A] V. Evaluate the Solution ry a ‘Ala glance, the numbers seem to be reasonable: the second block did not accelerate to an extreme speed, of remain nearly zoro. Numerically we ean confirm this by plugging in the values we have and demonstrate the conservation. In part (b) we find that the impulse is simply twice the magnitude of the original momentum because the initial/finel velocities have the same magnitude but differ by sign. PHYS 2210 PALL 2015 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH