Final answer:
The student's question involves solving for the final velocities of two gliders involved in an elastic collision on a frictionless air track using the conservation of momentum and kinetic energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Description of the Problem
The student has asked about an elastic collision between two gliders on a frictionless, horizontal air track. One glider with a mass of 0.152 kg is moving to the right with a velocity of 0.800 m/s. The other, with a mass of 0.292 kg, is moving to the left at a velocity of 2.24 m/s.
Explanation of Elastic Collision
An elastic collision is one where no kinetic energy is lost during the encounter. Both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. The final velocities of the objects can be determined by using the conservation laws of momentum and kinetic energy.
Application to the Student's Question
For the given problem, we use the conservation of momentum and kinetic energy to derive two equations. We can then solve these equations simultaneously to find the final velocities of both gliders after the collision.