Physlet Illustration: Collision in Two Dimensions

 

 

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A 100-gm red ball and a 50-gm blue ball collide. Can you verify that momentum is conserved in the collision? Is the collision elastic or inelastic?

Hints:

  1. Determine the x and y components of each ball's velocity before and after the collision.
  2. Using these components of velocity, as well as the mass of each ball, calculate the x and y components of each ball's momentum before and after the collision.
  3. Using these velocities and masses, calculate the kinetic energy before and after the collision.

Reference

See Walker, Sections 9-5 and 9-6

Illustration written by Steve Mellema