Two bogies collided, while the 0.5 kg bogie received an acceleration of 4 m / s2. What acceleration did the second 0.8 kg bogie get?

To find the acceleration obtained by the second colliding cart, we apply Newton’s third law: F1 = mt1 * at1 = mt2 * at2 = F2, whence we express: at2 = mt1 * at1 / mt2.

Variables: mt1 is the mass of the first cart (mt1 = 0.5 kg); at1 – acceleration received by the first carriage (at1 = 4 m / s2); mt2 is the mass of the second bogie (mt2 = 0.8 kg).

Calculation: at2 = mt1 * at1 / mt2 = 0.5 * 4 / 0.8 = 2.5 m / s2.

Answer: The second carriage was supposed to get an acceleration of 2.5 m / s2.