Answer:
Momentum is a vector quantity that describes the motion of an object. It is defined as the product of an object's mass and velocity, and it has both magnitude and direction. The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved if there are no external forces acting on the system. In other words, the total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.
In an inelastic collision, the objects stick together and move as a single unit after the collision. To determine the direction of motion after the collision, we can use the principle of conservation of momentum.
We can first calculate the total momentum before the collision by adding up the momentum of each object. We can then calculate the total momentum after the collision by adding up the momentum of the combined objects. If the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, then momentum is conserved, and the direction of motion after the collision is in the same direction as the total momentum.
However, if there are external forces acting on the system, such as friction or air resistance, the momentum may not be conserved, and the direction of motion after the collision may not be in the same direction as the total momentum.
Therefore, without specific information about the three-sphere system and the inelastic collision, it is impossible to determine the direction of motion after the collision.