Answer:
The total momentum of the carts is p = 5000 g cm/s
Explanation:
Given data,
The mass of the cart 1, m₁ = 500 g
The mass of the cart 2, m₂ = 250 g
Let the velocity of the cart 1 be, v₁ = 5 cm/s
The velocity of the cart 2 be, v₂ = 10 cm/s
According to the law of conservation of momentum, then the total momentum of the carts before and after will be the same.
Therefore,
p = m₁v₁ + m₂v₂
= 500 x 5 + 250 x 10
= 5000 g cm/s
Hence, the total momentum of the carts is p = 5000 g cm/s