A very light projectile traveling at 23 m/s elastically collides (in one dimension) with a massive target ( $m _ { \text {projectile } }

Question

A very light projectile traveling at 23 m/s elastically collides (in one dimension) with a massive target ( $m _ { \text {projectile } } < < m _ { \text {target } }$ ) that was initially at rest. After the collision, the velocity of the target mass
A) is -23 m/s.
B) is 0 m/s.
C) is -46 m/s.
D) cannot be determined (masses not given).

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In an elastic collision where a very light projectile hits a much more massive target that is initially at rest, the target will barely move after the collision due to its much larger mass. The velocity of the target mass will be very close to 0 m/s, as the momentum transferred to it is negligible compared to its mass.

A Very Light Projectile Traveling at 23 M/s Elastically Collides mprojectile <<mtarget m _ { \text {projectile } } < < m _ { \text {target } }mprojectile ​<<mtarget ​

A Very Light Projectile Traveling at 23 M/s Elastically Collides $m _ { \text {projectile } } < < m _ { \text {target } }$