A 2 kg ball of putty moving to the right at 3m/s has a head-on inelastic collision with a 1 kg ball of putty moving to the left at 3m/s. What is the final magnitude and direction of the velocity of the stuck together balls after the collision?
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Sra
To find the final magnitude and direction of the velocity of the stuck together balls after the collision, we need to apply the principles of conservation of momentum.
Let's break down the problem and gather the necessary information:
Mass of the first ball (m1) = 2 kg
Initial velocity of the first ball (v1) = 3 m/s (to the right)
Mass of the second ball (m2) = 1 kg
Initial velocity of the second ball (v2) = 3 m/s (to the left)
Since the problem mentions an inelastic collision, we know that the two balls will stick together after colliding. In an inelastic collision, the kinetic energy is not conserved. However, momentum is still conserved.
The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision. Mathematically, we can express this as:
(m1 * v1) + (m2 * v2) = (m1 + m2) * vf
Where:
m1 and m2 are the masses of the respective objects
v1 and v2 are the initial velocities of the respective objects
vf is the final velocity of the combined objects
Now, let's plug in the values:
(2 kg * 3 m/s) + (1 kg * -3 m/s) = (2 kg + 1 kg) * vf
6 kg m/s - 3 kg m/s = 3 kg * vf
3 kg m/s = 3 kg * vf
Dividing both sides of the equation by 3 kg to solve for vf:
vf = 3 kg m/s / 3 kg
vf = 1 m/s
Therefore, the final magnitude of the velocity of the stuck-together balls after the collision is 1 m/s.
Since the first ball was moving to the right (positive direction) and the second ball was moving to the left (negative direction), the direction of the final velocity will depend on the positive direction defined in the problem. In this case, since the first ball is moving to the right, we can conclude that the final velocity is 1 m/s to the right.
So, the final magnitude and direction of the velocity of the stuck-together balls after the collision is 1 m/s to the right.
This question was asked and answered elsewhere, yesterday. If you care using multiple names here, please stop.
The method of solution is to assume conservation of momentum
The sudden dumping of homework physics questions with no evidence of work is overloading our ability and/or willingness to respond.