A 970-kg sports car collides into the rear end of a 2300-kg SUV stopped at a red light. The bumpers lock, the brakes are locked, and the two cars skid forward 2.9 m before stopping. The police officer, estimating the coefficient of kinetic friction between tires and road to be 0.80, calculates the speed of the sports car at impact.

22.73 m/s or 81.72 kph

Explanation

We can find the combined mass of both cars as

970 kg + 2300 kg = 3270 kg.

Then the normal force of the cars can be calculated as

F(n)= mg

Where g is acceleration due to gravity 9.8m/s^2

3270 kg ×9.8 = 32046 kg*m/s^2.

coefficient of kinetic friction between tires and road to be 0.80 × F(n)

Then the frictional force can be calculated as

= (32046kg*m/s^2 × 0.80 )

= 25636.8 kg*m/s^2

We can now calculate the work done that was used stopping the cars as

Frictional force × distance

(25636.8 kg*m/s^2 ) × 2.9m= 74346.72kg*m^2/s^2

From kinetic energy formula, the combined velocity of the car can be determined

E=0.5 M V²

√(2E/M) = V

√(2*74346.72kg*m^2/s^2 / 3270 kg) = V

V= √ (45.472)

V=6.743293m/s

the momentum of both cars can be determined as

6.743293m/s * 3270 kg

= 22050.57kg*m/s

Now the final momentum of both cars must be equal to the the momentum of

the sports car just prior to the collision. Therefore, the speed of the sports car at impact.

=(22050.57 kg*m/s) / 970 kg = 22.73 m/s

We can convert that to km/h.

22.73 m/s * 3600 s/h / 1000 m/km = 81.72 kph