Crash Momentum: 1500kg Boulder, 500kg Truck

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A 1500 kg boulder traveling at 10 m/s collides with a 500 kg truck moving at 20 m/s in a S30°W direction. After the collision, the boulder moves at 5 m/s towards S70°W. The horizontal and vertical momentum equations were set up to find the truck's speed and direction post-collision. The calculations yielded a horizontal component of -34.38 and a vertical component of -9.82, leading to an angle θ that was initially miscalculated. The correct angle after resolving the equations should be 20°.
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Homework Statement


A boulder that weighs 1500 kg is moving 10m/s in a Westerly direction, until it collides with a truck of mass 500kg traveling at 20m/s at a direction S30°W. After the collision the boulder moves away at 5m/s at a direction of S70°W. Find the speed and direction of the truck adter the crash.

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution


I tried sorting the problem into horizontal and vertical aspects.

the horizontal equation looks like:

1500 * -10 + 500(-20 cos 60) = 1500 * (-5 cos 30°) + 500(v cos θ)

which solves to: v cos = -34.38

where the 1500 and the 500 are the masses, the (-10) and (-5 cos 30) are the before the crash horizontal vectors, and (-20 cos 60) and (v cos θ) the after crash horiz vectors.

the vertical equation:

1500 * 0 + 500(-20 sin 60) = 1500 * (-5 sin 30) + 500( v sin θ)

which solves to: v sin θ = -9.82

where 1500 and 500 are the masses again, (0) and (-20 sin 60) the before the crash vertical components, andd (-5 sin 30) & (v sin θ) the after the crash components.

from here i tried:

tan θ = -34.38 / -9.82
θ = 0.061

but I am fairly certain this is wrong. Can anyone please tell me where i went wrong? thank you!
 
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Tankertert said:
[

The Attempt at a Solution


I tried sorting the problem into horizontal and vertical aspects.

the horizontal equation looks like:

1500 * -10 + 500(-20 cos 60) = 1500 * (-5 cos 30°) + 500(v cos θ)

which solves to: v cos = -34.38

!

It should be 20°.
 
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