Two modular robotic cargo capsules, A and B, are travelling towards each other along a straight, horizontal track in a testing facility where friction is negligible.
A has a mass of 1.80 kg1.80\text{ kg}1.80 kg and is moving to the right at a speed of 3.20 m s−13.20\text{ m s}^{-1}3.20 m s−1.
B has a mass of 1.40 kg1.40\text{ kg}1.40 kg and is moving to the left at a speed of 1.50 m s−11.50\text{ m s}^{-1}1.50 m s−1.
Upon collision, the capsules automatically latch together and move as a single combined unit.
State the physical quantity that is conserved in an elastic collision but not conserved in an inelastic collision.
Show that the speed of the combined capsules immediately after the collision is approximately 1.14 m s−11.14\text{ m s}^{-1}1.14 m s−1.
Calculate the magnitude of the impulse that acts on each capsule during the collision. Give an appropriate unit for your answer.
Explain, without doing a calculation, how the motion of the capsules immediately after the collision would be different if the collision were perfectly elastic.
