Head-on Collision with Coefficient of Restitution – Rankers Physics

Collision: Practice Problem & Solution

A ball moving with velocity $2\text{ m/s}$ collides head on with another stationary ball of double the mass. If the coefficient of restitution is $0.5$ then their velocities (in $\text{ m/s}$) after collision will be: (2010 Pre)
$0, 2$
$0, 1$
$1, 1$
$1, 0.5$

Solution Explained:

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Collision. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

Using the collision velocity formulas $v_1 = \frac{(m_1 - em_2)u_1}{m_1+m_2}$ and $v_2 = \frac{(1+e)m_1 u_1}{m_1+m_2}$ with $m_1=m$, $m_2=2m$, $u_1=2$, and $e=0.5$, we get $v_1 = 0$ and $v_2 = 1\text{ m/s}$.

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