Cadillac-Geo Collision: Calculating Speed of Impact

[sealedhuman77]

Homework Statement

A Cadillac of mass 2250 kg going east collides with a Geo of mass 1180 kg headed north on a level highway. The cars remain tangled and slide to rest after traveling 25 m in a straight line at an angle of 20° north of east. The coefficient of kinetic friction for the tires on the road is 0.2. How fast was the Cadillac traveling before the unfortunate collision?

Homework Equations

Frictional Force = coefficient of friction x normal force, inelastic collision, conservation of momentum, motion formulas.

The Attempt at a Solution

Did not know how to approach problem.

Thanks for the help

 

[Snazzy]

The frictional force allows you to calculate the deceleration of the two cars, which will allow you to solve for the initial velocity of the wreck, and then you can use the conservation of momentum law to calculate the components of the momentum before and after the collision, and thus the initial velocity of the Cadillac before the collision.

 

[sealedhuman77]

With the coefficient of kinetic friction, am I suppose to use it with normal force to find frictional force?

And also, I don't really understand how frictional force applies to deceleration.

 

[Snazzy]

With the coefficient of kinetic friction, am I suppose to use it with normal force to find frictional force?

Yes.

And also, I don't really understand how frictional force applies to deceleration.

Newton's 2nd law.