The activity starts one cart moving toward a stationary target. Masses and initial speed are adjustable. The calculated before-and-after values use one-dimensional conservation equations. Drawn contact is a short visual transition, not a model of the detailed force pulse or real crumpling of a cart.
Forces, motion and energy · Discover & try
What stays the same when two carts collide?
Reading level 3 of 5 · IndependentChange
Word help
Elastic collision
An ideal collision preserving total kinetic energy as well as momentum.
Sticking collision
A collision after which objects share one velocity.
System
The chosen collection of objects whose total quantities are compared.
Watch · Try · Explain
See how it works
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One-dimensional ideal collision; no external impulse and no claim about material damage.
What to look for
- Compare total momentum before and after.
- Compare elastic and sticking kinetic energies.
- Read negative velocity as a direction.
Explain what you noticed
A different 1 kg cart moving at 6 m/s sticks to a stationary 2 kg cart. What shared speed follows in the isolated model?
Keep this idea: Total momentum is conserved for an isolated system; kinetic energy is conserved only in the ideal elastic case.
Follow the sources
- OpenStax, Rice University — Conservation of Momentum
- OpenStax, Rice University — Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Source links do not imply endorsement.
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