Final answer:
To determine the speed of ball one after the glancing collision with ball two, we need to use the conservation of momentum in two dimensions. After setting up and solving the component equations, we can find the velocity of ball one post-collision.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question revolves around a glancing collision between two identical ping pong balls with known speeds and directions before and after the collision. Utilizing the principles of conservation of momentum and given that ball two is deflected by 90 degrees and moves north at 1.54 m/s after the collision, we are asked to find the speed of ball one post-collision.
To find the speed of ball one after the collision, we need to apply the law of conservation of linear momentum in two dimensions, taking into account that the momentum in the isolated system of the two balls is conserved. Since the balls are identical and we know the velocities of both balls before and one ball after the collision, we can set up equations based on the components of momentum along the east-west (x-axis) and north-south (y-axis) directions.
Once these equations are established, we can solve for the final speed of ball one in the east-west direction, combining it with the known north-south component to find the resultant velocity of ball one after the collision.