In a collision, if two cars lock bumpers and one car breaks free moving at 0.125 m/s, what determines the final velocity of the locked cars?

The final velocity of the locked cars in a collision is determined by the mass and speed of both cars involved in the collision, which reflects the principle of conservation of momentum. In a closed system where no external forces are acting, the momentum before the collision must equal the momentum after the collision.

When the two cars collide and lock bumpers, they move together, and their combined mass and the speeds of each car before the collision dictate their shared velocity. Specifically, if one car is moving and the other is stationary, or if both are moving at different speeds, calculating the total momentum involves multiplying each car’s mass by its respective velocity before the collision.

Thus, when one car breaks free and moves at 0.125 m/s, this velocity also plays a role, but the determining factor for the final speed of the locked cars is indeed the masses and initial speeds of both cars involved in the impact. The speed of one of the cars post-collision is a result of this interplay of mass and momentum, confirming the solution is correct.