Question

Imagine two billiard balls on a pool table. Ball A has a mass of 2 kilograms and ball

B has a mass of 3 kilograms. The initial velocity of ball A is 9 meters per second to
the right, and the initial velocity of the ball B is 6 meters per second to the left. The
final velocity of ball A is 9 meters per second to the left, while the final velocity of
ball B is 6 meters per second to the right.

1. Explain what happens to each ball after the collision. Why do you think this
occurs? Which of Newton’s laws does this represent?

Answer 1

Yes, the law of conservation of momentum is satisfied. The total momentum before the collision is 1.5 kg • m/s and the total momentum after the collision is 1.5 kg • m/s. The momentum before and after the collision is the same.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

This is an example of an elastic collision. The two objects collide and return to their original shapes and move separately. In such a collision, kinetic energy is conserved. I think we can agree that this represents Newton's third law by demonstrating conservation of momentum.