In a game of pool, when the cue ball (white ball) is stuck, it collides with the solid blue #2 ball, transferring all of its kinetic energy. What will happen after the collision?
a
The Blue Solid #2 ball will move away at half the speed because the kinetic energy is divided between the two balls.
b
The Blue Solid #2 ball will move away at half the speed because the kinetic energy is divided between the two balls.
c
The Blue Solid #2 ball will come to a stop, just like the white cue ball.
d
The Blue Solid #2 ball will move away at the same speed because it has the same mass.
c The Blue Solid #2 ball will come to a stop, just like the white cue ball.
d
good grief, the blue ball got all the kinetic energy
is it c or d
It is d
The blue ball has all the energy now.
The correct answer is b. The Blue Solid #2 ball will move away at half the speed because the kinetic energy is divided between the two balls.
To understand why this is the case, let's explain the concept of kinetic energy and the physics behind collisions in pool.
Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. In the context of a game of pool, the kinetic energy of a ball is given by the equation:
KE = (1/2) * m * v^2
where KE is the kinetic energy, m is the mass of the ball, and v is its velocity.
When two balls collide in pool, the total kinetic energy before the collision is equal to the total kinetic energy after the collision, assuming there are no external forces involved. This principle is known as the conservation of kinetic energy.
In this scenario, the cue ball (white ball) is stuck and collides with the Blue Solid #2 ball. Since the cue ball is stuck and not moving, its velocity is zero. Therefore, it indicates that all the initial kinetic energy is possessed by the Blue Solid #2 ball.
After the collision, the cue ball will start moving in the direction opposite to its initial path, while the Blue Solid #2 ball will move away in a new direction. According to the conservation of kinetic energy, the sum of the kinetic energy of the two balls after the collision should be equal to their initial kinetic energy.
Since the cue ball transfers all of its kinetic energy to the Blue Solid #2 ball, and the masses of the two balls are different (usually the cue ball is lighter), the Blue Solid #2 ball will acquire all the kinetic energy. Therefore, its velocity will be larger than the velocity of the cue ball before the collision.
The ratio of the velocities of the two balls after the collision will be inversely proportional to the ratio of their masses. In other words, if the cue ball has half the mass of the Blue Solid #2 ball, the Blue Solid #2 ball will move away at half the speed.
Hence, the correct answer is b. The Blue Solid #2 ball will move away at half the speed because the kinetic energy is divided between the two balls.