My Favorite Exam Question

Abstract

My favorite exam question comes from the final exam in an introductory mechanics course: A rolling 31 ton railroad boxcar collides with a stationary flatcar. The coupling mechanism activates so the cars latch together and roll down the track attached. Of the initial kinetic energy, 38% dissipates as heat, sound, vibrations, mechanical deformation, and so forth. How much does the flatcar weigh?

Publisher

American Association of Physics Teachers

Publication Date

12-1-2015

Publication Title

Physics Teacher

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.4935763

Keywords

Physics education, Atmospheric pressure, Kinematics, Angular momentum, Atmospheric water

Language

English

Format

text

Link to Full Text

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