What is the direction of the final velocity after the inelastic collision?

• A. to the left
• B. to the right
• C. zero
• D. undefined

Answer: (B)

Momentum is conserved in collisions, and in an inelastic collision the two objects stick together and share a single final velocity. This final velocity comes from the total initial momentum divided by the total mass: v_final = (m1 v1 + m2 v2) / (m1 + m2). The direction matches the sign of that total initial momentum. If the sum m1 v1 + m2 v2 is positive, the final motion is to the right; if negative, to the left; if it were zero, the final velocity would be zero. Since the net initial momentum points to the right in this setup, the final velocity is to the right.