Question

A cart on a table (cart A) collides with another cart that is initially at rest (cart B). After the collision, both carts are moving. The diagrams below represent snapshots of the carts before and after the collision. The arrows on the diagrams indicate the velocity vectors of the carts at the instants shown. (The vectors are drawn to scale.) Consider the time interval between the two instants shown. During this time interval, is the magnitude of the average acceleration of cart A greater than, less than or equal to the magnitude of the average acceleration of cart B? Explain how you can tell. During this time interval, is the direction of the average acceleration of cart A the same as. or different from, the direction of the average acceleration of cart B? Explain how you can tell.

Answer 1

average accleration is defined as change in velocity devided by change in time

after collision cart A decreases its velocity and cart B gains the velocity at the same time

so that the average acceleration of B is greater than the A

b) cart A acceleration decreasing means acceleration and velocity are in opposite direction

so that bothe carts accelerations are in same directions that is in the postive x direction.