Head-on Collision: Calculating SUV Velocity

[IAmSparticus]

1. A car (mass = 1060 kg) is traveling at 43 m/s when it collides head-on with a sport utility vehicle (mass = 2550 kg) traveling in the opposite direction. In the collision, the two vehicles come to a halt. At what speed was the sport utility vehicle traveling?



2. COLM states: m1Vf1 + m2Vf2 = m1Vi1 + m2Vi2



3. Since we know the masses of the two vehicles and the initial velocity of the first car, and since the final velocities of both are zero, I plugged in the values for the variables and got the equation 0= (1060 kg)(43 m/s) + (2550 kg)(Vi2)

I did the math and got that Vi2= (1060 kg * 43 m/s)/(2550 kg) but the answer I got here, -20.26 m/s, is apparently wrong. Can someone tell me where I went wrong?

 

[rock.freak667]

your answer is 20.26 m/s in the opposite direction

not

-20.26 m/s in the opposite direction