Sphere A (mass m), moving with speed 3v, collides with sphere B (mass 2m) which is moving in the opposite direction with speed v. The two spheres then combine, calculate the resulting velocity of the combined spheres.
Sphere A has mass m and velocity +3v so its initial momentum is 3mv. Sphere B has mass 2m and velocity -v so its initial momentum is -2mv. Therefore we can say:3mv - 2mv = Mcvc, where Mc and vc are the mass and velocity of the combined spheres respectively. The mass will simply be the sum of the masses of A and B, thus Mc = 3m. We can therefore calculate vc by:3mv - 2mv = 3mvc -> mv = 3mvc -> v = 3vc Therefore the final velocity of the spheres is v/3.
TS
Related Physics A Level answers
All answers ▸A car undergoes uniform acceleration from a starting velocity of 10ms^-1 to 20ms^-1 in 10s. Assuming the car's mass is 2000kg, calculate the net force in the direction of the acceleration.
A ball is dropped from rest from a window 3m above ground height. How long will it take the ball to hit the ground? (You may assume air resistance on the ball is negligible.)
An atom can become excited by the absorption of photons. Explain why only photons of certain frequencies cause excitation in a particular atom.
Why are values of gravitational potential negative?