Physlet Illustration: Collision in One Dimension

 

 

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A 100-gm red ball and a 75-gm blue ball collide. Is momentum conserved?  Is the collision elastic or inelastic?

Hints:

  1. Determine each ball's velocity before and after the collision. (Remember velocity is a vector.)
  2. Using these velocities, as well as the mass of each ball, calculate each ball's momentum before and after the collision.
  3. Using the masses and velocities before and after, calculate the kinetic energy before and after.

Reference

See Walker, Sections 9-5 and 9-6 

Illustration written by Chuck Niederriter