Question

Your uncle works at the railroad freight yard, and he has asked you to watch the yard hands couple 30,000-kg boxcars together. As he leaves to get a sandwich, he tells you, "Whatever you do, don't let those cars bang together too hard. The coupling between the cars will take only 8,000 J on a hit before it shatters." You ask how hard is too hard, but your uncle has already ducked out. How fast can one moving car bump into a stationary car without the coupling shattering?

Answer 1

Consider the initial velocity be v. The final velocity after the coupling is - Use conservation of energy 2 2 2 2 The maximum velocity is, 4 E 4(8000 J) (30000 kg) 1.03 m/s