A very massive object traveling at 10 m/s strikes a light object, initially at rest, and the light object moves off in the direction of travel of the heavy object.If the collision is elastic, the speed of the lighter object is
A)5.0 m/s
B)10 m/s
C)15 m/s
D)20 m/s
E)Can't tell from the information given.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In an elastic collision where a very massive object collides with a much lighter object initially at rest, the lighter object will move off with approximately twice the speed of the massive object. Hence, the speed of the lighter object is 20 m/s.

A Very Massive Object Traveling at 10 M/s Strikes a Light