Elastic Collision
Two balls of equal mass undergo a head-on elastic collision. If one ball was initially at rest and the other had velocity v, what are their velocities after collision?
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- work, energy and power
- Topic
- elastic collision
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
0 and v
- Key Characteristic: In a head-on elastic collision between two objects of identical mass, the velocities are exchanged.
- Conservation Proof:
- Momentum: mv+0=mv1+mv2⟹v=v1+v2.
- Kinetic Energy: 21mv2=21mv12+21mv22⟹v2=v12+v22.
- Resulting State: The only physical solution where speeds are real and positive is v1=0 and v2=v.
- Conclusion: The incoming ball stops completely, and the target ball launches with the original speed.
This medium difficulty physics question is from the chapter work, energy and power, covering the topic of elastic collision. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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