gail placed two carts on a track. both carts have very low friction. a spring is attached to one of the…

gail placed two carts on a track. both carts have very low friction. a spring is attached to one of the carts. gail compressed the spring between the two carts. then, she released the carts. the two carts pushed apart. which statement explains why momentum is conserved in this situation? a. the two carts have zero initial momentum. b. the net force acting on the system is zero. c. the initial momentum of the spring is zero. d. the two carts move at the same speed in opposite directions.

gail placed two carts on a track. both carts have very low friction. a spring is attached to one of the carts. gail compressed the spring between the two carts. then, she released the carts. the two carts pushed apart. which statement explains why momentum is conserved in this situation? a. the two carts have zero initial momentum. b. the net force acting on the system is zero. c. the initial momentum of the spring is zero. d. the two carts move at the same speed in opposite directions.

Answer

Brief Explanations:

According to the law of conservation of momentum, momentum is conserved in a system when the net external force acting on the system is zero. In this case, with very - low friction, the net force on the two - cart system is zero. Initial momentum values of individual components like the spring or the carts do not directly explain the conservation of momentum of the whole system. Also, the carts don't necessarily move at the same speed.

Answer:

B. The net force acting on the system is zero.