Question

A puck of mass 0.150 kg is moving on a frictionless, horizontal air track with a speed of 0.9m/s. It has a head-on collision with another puck of mass 0.300 kg that is moving to the left with a speed of 2.2m/s. Find the final velocity (magnitude and direction) of each glider if the collision is elastic.

Answer 1

V1f = 3.23 m/s in the direction of the 2nd puck

V2f = 0.13 m/s in the same direction it was moving

Step-by-step explanation:

These are our given data:

V1o = 0.9 m/s m1 = 0.150 kg

V2o = -2.2 m/s m2 = 0.300 kg

Using the equations for elastic collisions:

`V1f = (m1-m2)/(m1+m2) *V1o+(2*m2)/(m1+m2)*V2o=-3.23m/s`

`V2f = (2*m1)/(m1+m2) *V1o+(m2-m1)/(m1+m2)*V2o=-0.13m/s`

They both move in the same direction as the 2dn puck was moving.