Angle Calculation for Car-Truck Collision

[aszymans]

Car Truck Collisins w/ ANGLES!

Homework Statement

A blue car with mass mc = 431 kg is moving east with a speed of vc = 19 m/s and collides with a purple truck with mass mt = 1298 kg that is moving south with a speed of vt = 12 m/s . The two collide and lock together after the collision.

Homework Equations

What is the angle that the car-truck combination travel after the collision? (give your answer as an angle South of East

The Attempt at a Solution

I have no idea, something to do with adding the vectors. I just don't know how to incorporate the angle

 

[PeterO]

Homework Statement

A blue car with mass mc = 431 kg is moving east with a speed of vc = 19 m/s and collides with a purple truck with mass mt = 1298 kg that is moving south with a speed of vt = 12 m/s . The two collide and lock together after the collision.

Homework Equations

What is the angle that the car-truck combination travel after the collision? (give your answer as an angle South of East

The Attempt at a Solution

I have no idea, something to do with adding the vectors. I just don't know how to incorporate the angle

You will be adding the momentum vectors - so start by using mass and velocity for each vehicle to get the momentum of each.

NOTE: These questions are really frustrating in the masses used [not your fault].
The minimum weight of a Formula 1 racing car [a glorified go-cart] is 640 kg. The idea of having a car of mass 431 kg is fanciful.
A modern Small car has a mass around 1000 kg, and even a small truck will have a mass around 3000 kg.

 

[grzz]

Which principle do you think we usually use in a collision problem?

 

[Kishor Bhat]

Which principle do you think we usually use in a collision problem?

I'm assuming that was rhetorical. :P

I think you should just find the resultant of the momentum vectors, and then arctan[(y-component)/(x-component)] (components of resultant) should give you the angle.

 

[grzz]

I was encouraging the original poster to a better attemp!

 

[Kishor Bhat]

Right. Sorry.