You throw a golf ball at a massive bowling ball at rest and the golf ball bounces backward from it.After the bounce,compared with the golf ball,the bowling ball has more

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of the system before and after the collision should be the same. Therefore, if the golf ball bounces backward, it means that it has transferred some momentum to the bowling ball. Since the golf ball is now moving backward, its momentum has decreased. On the other hand, the bowling ball now has some momentum that it did not have before, so its momentum has increased. However, the kinetic energy of the system is not conserved in a collision because some energy is lost to deformation or heat. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the golf ball/bowling ball system has decreased after the collision. Hence, the best choice is A, which states that the bowling ball has more momentum but less kinetic energy than the golf ball.

You Throw a Golf Ball at a Massive Bowling Ball