Adapting an Explanation

energy diagram — Energy Giver: Launched Cart with an associated decrease in kinetic energy. Energy Receiver: Target Cart with an associated increase in kinetic energy.

Here is the same revised explanation for why the target cart started to move yet again!

(1) The launched cart is moving toward the stationary target cart and when they collide there is a contact push/pull interaction between them. (2) The energy giver during this interaction is the launched cart, and energy is transferred from it to the target cart, which is the energy receiver. (3) Because of this energy transfer, the kinetic energy of the launched cart decreases while the kinetic energy of the target cart increases. (4) Since the target cart was initially at rest with a speed of zero and no kinetic energy, this increase in its kinetic energy means its speed is no longer zero, which in turn means that it starts to move.

Explanations Using Energy Ideas – Adapting an Explanation

Use the explanation above as a starting point to develop a new explanation. Which part(s) would you have to change to answer the following new question?

Explain why the launched cart decreased in speed during this collision?

Choose all that apply.