A single billiard ball , traveling at 20 m /s, strikes a cluster of 15 balls on a billiard table . What can be said about the balls on the table after the collision?

Question

A single billiard ball , traveling at 20 m /s, strikes a cluster of 15 balls on a billiard table . What can be said about the balls on the table after the collision?

The kinetic energy will be divided equally among the 15 balls .
Each ball will have a velocity equal to 20 m/ s.
The kinetic energy of the 15 balls will be greater than the kinetic energy of one ball .
None of the balls will have a velocity greater than 20 m /s .

Answer 1

After the collision, the kinetic energy of the single billiard ball will be transferred to the cluster of 15 balls, resulting in each ball having equal kinetic energy. Since kinetic energy is proportional to the square of velocity, each ball will have a velocity less than 20 m/s to maintain the total kinetic energy of the system. Therefore, none of the balls will have a velocity greater than 20 m/s. Additionally, the combined kinetic energy of the 15 balls will be greater than the kinetic energy of the single ball before the collision.