Question

Two balls of mass m1 and m2 collide in a perfectly elastic collision. Ball A is initially travelling at a velocity of viA . It collides head-on with stationary ball B. State the formulas for determining the final velocities for balls A and B.

Answer 1

For a perfectly elastic collision with ball A of mass m1 moving at velocity viA and ball B of mass m2 stationary, the final velocities are calculated using conservation of both momentum and kinetic energy, resulting in vfA = viA * (m1 - m2) / (m1 + m2) for ball A and vfB = 2 * m1 * viA / (m1 + m2) for ball B.

Step-by-step explanation:

When two balls of mass m1 and m2 engage in a perfectly elastic collision, where ball A is moving with velocity viA and ball B is initially stationary, the final velocities of the balls can be determined using the conservation of momentum and conservation of kinetic energy. The relevant formulas are:

For ball A (m1):

• vfA = viA * (m1 - m2) / (m1 + m2)

For ball B (m2):

• vfB = 2 * m1 * viA / (m1 + m2)

These formulas assume a one-dimensional collision with no external forces acting on the system of two balls. Remember, the final velocities are dependent on both masses and the initial velocity of the moving ball.