Solving for Angular and Linear Velocities in a Two Car Collision

[Yafa]

I think you have to treat each body separately. you have a net loss of energy since your coefficient of restitution is less than 1. You should break up the collision into 3 parts. Find the energy before, the change during, and the energy after the collision.

Check this out, it should be of some assistance. http://www.myphysicslab.com/collision.html

Scroll all the way down near the bottom of the page.

 

[trogtothedor]

I understand that there is energy loss. However, momentum is conserved I thought... which is why conservation of momentum is applied. If that's the case then I don't understand why you can't apply conservation of angular momentum to point P and treat the cars as an entire system.