Question

A 125 g ball moving at a constant speed of 2.2 m/s strikes a 510 g ball that is at rest. After the collision, the first ball rebounds straight back at 1.2 m/s. Calculate the final velocity of the second ball.

Answer 1

The final velocity of the second ball is approximately 0.529 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

The final velocity of the second ball can be calculated using the principle of conservation of momentum. The momentum before the collision is equal to the momentum after the collision.

Let's denote the initial velocity of the first ball (125 g) as u1, the final velocity of the first ball as v1, the initial velocity of the second ball (510 g) as u2, and the final velocity of the second ball as v2.

Using the equation:

(mass1 * u1) + (mass2 * u2) = (mass1 * v1) + (mass2 * v2)

Substituting the given values:

(0.125 kg * 2.2 m/s) + (0.51 kg * 0 m/s) = (0.125 kg * 1.2 m/s) + (0.51 kg * v2)

By solving the equation, the final velocity of the second ball, v2, is found to be approximately 0.529 m/s.