A 1.6 kg cart moving at 6.0 m/s [E] collides with a 1.2 kg cart moving at 3.0 m/s [W]. The head-on collision is completely elastic and is cushioned by a spring. A student was asked to find the spring constant given that the maximum compression of the spring during the collision is 1.2 cm.

 

a. Explain each step in their solution. (5 marks) (1.6)(6) + (1.2)(3) = (2.8)(v1 ) 1 2 V = = 2.14 m/s 1 (1.6) (6) + (1.2)(-3) = (2.8) (2.14) + 2 k = 385714.29 -k( The spring constant is 390 000 N/m b. What would the spring constant be if the maximum compression was 2.4 cm instead? Why? (2 marks) |