## anonymous one year ago Two vehicles collide and stick together. After the collision, their combined y-momentum is 2.40 x 10^4 kilogram meters/second, and their x-momentum is 7.00 x 10^4 kilogram meters/second. What is the angle of the motion of the two vehicles, with respect to the x-axis? Could someone please assist? EDIT: Okay, so I tried myself and here's what I did: 2.40 x 10^4 * 7.00 x 10^4 = 168 = 16.8 degrees Not sure if right, anyone want to confirm?

1. Astrophysics

I'm not sure what you're doing, but momentum is $\vec p = m \vec v$ you should make a drawing for initial case and final case, are you given directions?

2. Astrophysics

Anyways to find the angle of the motion we use $\tan \theta = \left( \frac{ |P_y f| }{ |P_x f| } \right)$

3. anonymous

I wasn't given any specific directions, all I wrote was all that was there... Ah, alright, so it'll be tan(theta) = (2.40 x 10^4 (f) / 7.00 x 10^4 (f))?

4. Astrophysics

The f here just means final case, but yes, that's fine $\tan \theta = \left( \frac{ 2.4 }{ 7 } \right)$

5. Astrophysics

Do you know how to isolate angle theta?

6. Astrophysics

By the way the reason I used 2.4 and 7 and did not include 10^4 because 10^4/10^4 is just 1.

7. anonymous

theta^-1 right?

8. Astrophysics

Right, we take the inverse! :)

9. anonymous

Oh wait...would it look something like this? (theta) = tan^-1= (2.4/7)

10. Astrophysics

$\theta = \tan ^{-1} \left( \frac{ 2.4 }{ 7 } \right)$

11. Astrophysics

|dw:1434948081957:dw|

12. Astrophysics

What did you get for the angle?

13. anonymous

Do I divide the 2.4 and 7 before doing so? Because I did, getting 0.34 and the final angle: 18.8 degrees

14. Astrophysics

That's fine, but don't round numbers until the final answer, you should get 18.92...degrees

15. anonymous

Ah, okay! And here one of the answers is 18.9 degrees, guess we got it. :) Thanks once again! ^ ^

16. Astrophysics

Np!