BRAINCAKETwo-Dimensional Collision Questions
Two-dimensional collision questions combine everything in this topic. A reliable approach:
1. Sketch all velocities (with angles) before and after.
2. Resolve every momentum along x and y.
3. Conserve momentum in x and in y separately.
4. Solve, then recombine with Pythagoras and tan.
5. If asked, compare total kinetic energy before and after to test for an elastic collision.
Worked example: a 0.20 kg ball moving at 5.0 m s-1 strikes an identical stationary ball and moves off at 4.0 m s-1 at 37° to its original direction. Find the second ball's velocity; is the collision elastic?
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Key terms in this lesson
- elastic collision
- A collision in which the total kinetic energy of the colliding objects is conserved.
More in Further Mechanics
- On the Road
- The London Eye
- A Spin Dryer
- Momentum as a Vector
- Conservation of Momentum in Two Dimensions
- Resolving Momentum in Collisions
- Kinetic Energy and Momentum - Ek = p2/2m
- Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
All 15 lessons in Further Mechanics · All Edexcel A-level Physics topics