When 2 balls collide head on where one ball is moving and one ball is stationary, it is possible that the moving ball will transfer its entire motion to the stationary ball. This most likely happen when?
When two balls collide head-on, the conservation of momentum principle comes into play. According to this principle, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, assuming no external forces are present.
To determine when the moving ball will transfer its entire motion to the stationary ball, we need to analyze the situation. Let's consider two scenarios:
1. Elastic Collision: In an elastic collision, kinetic energy is conserved. If the moving ball collides head-on with the stationary ball and both balls are perfectly elastic (i.e., no energy is lost during the collision), then the moving ball is likely to transfer its entire motion to the stationary ball. This occurs when both balls have the same mass.
2. Inelastic Collision: In an inelastic collision, kinetic energy is not conserved. If the moving ball collides head-on with the stationary ball and the balls are perfectly inelastic (i.e., they stick together after the collision), then the moving ball is also likely to transfer its entire motion to the stationary ball. In this case, the mass of the moving ball should be significantly larger than the mass of the stationary ball.
In both scenarios, it is important to note that the moving ball needs to make a direct head-on collision with the stationary ball for its entire motion to be transferred. Any offset or angle in the collision will result in a different outcome.
In summary, when two balls collide head-on, the moving ball is most likely to transfer its entire motion to the stationary ball in an elastic collision when both balls have the same mass, or in an inelastic collision when the moving ball has significantly more mass than the stationary ball.