A puck with a mass m₁ = 50 g moving at 1.0 m/s approaches a stationary puck with a mass m₂ = 100 g on a frictionless air table,and they undergo a sudden two-dimensional elastic collision.After the collision,both pucks have identical speeds,but travel in different directions.What is the angle between the original and final paths of puck with mass m₁? A)30° B)60° C)90° D)120° E)150°

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since both pucks have identical speeds after the collision, their paths must make an angle of 90° with each other. This is because in an elastic collision, the momentum and kinetic energy are conserved, which means that the final kinetic energy is the same as the initial kinetic energy, but the direction of the momentum can change. Therefore, the angle between the original and final paths is 90°.

A Puck with a Mass M1 = 50 G Moving

A Puck with a Mass M₁ = 50 G Moving