Two identical laboratory carts, each of mass 0.40kg, travel along a straight, horizontal track. A kinetic–energy–versus–time graph (not shown) for the two–cart system displays the following characteristics:
• From t=0 to t=0.50s the total kinetic energy of the system remains constant at 4.0J.
• At t=0.50s the kinetic energy drops abruptly to 2.6J and then remains constant for t>0.50s.
No external horizontal forces act on the carts.
Answer the questions below.
(a) Calculate the percentage of the system’s initial kinetic energy that is lost as a result of the collision.
(b) Immediately after the collision, the carts stick together and move as a single object. Determine their common speed just after the collision.
(c) Determine the magnitude of the impulse delivered to the two–cart system during the collision.