A ping-pong ball originally at rest is hit head-on by a bowling ball moving with initial speed v₀. It is given that the mass of the ping-pong ball is as good as negligible in comparison with the mass of the bowling ball. What is the speed of the ping-pong ball after this elastic collision? B) v₀ C) 2v₀ D) 4v₀ E) 8v₀

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since momentum is conserved in the collision, we have:

mS1U1B10S1U1B0vS1U1B10S1U1B0 + mS1U1B20S1U1B0(0) = mS1U1B10S1U1B00vS1U1B00 + mS1U1B20S1U1B0vS1U1B20S1U1B0

Simplifying this equation and using the fact that mS1U1B20S1U1B0 is negligible compared to mS1U1B10S1U1B0, we get:

vS1U1B20S1U1B0 = 2vS1U1B10S1U1B0

Therefore, the speed of the ping-pong ball after the collision is twice the speed of the bowling ball before the collision.

A Ping-Pong Ball Originally at Rest Is Hit Head-On by a Bowling