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30 January, 09:17

A freight car moves along a friction less level railroad track at constant speed. The car is open on top. A large load of coal is suddenly dumped into the car. What happens to the velocity of the car?

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  1. 30 January, 10:58
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    The velocity of the freight car decreases.

    Explanation:

    This question is answered by the conservation of momentum principle.

    When the freight car is moving at a certain speed, it has a constant momentum.

    We will call this M1.

    The equation for M1 will be:

    M1 = Mass * Speed

    Now when the coal is dumped into the freight car, the Mass increases.

    Since conservation of momentum states that the momentum will remain the same. We have:

    M1 = (Mass of freight + Mass of coal) * Speed

    Since M1 is constant, if the mass increases, the speed had to decrease to keep the equation true.
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