Physics · Elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions

When a body of mass moving with uniform velocity collides with another body of m

When a body of mass \( m_{1} \) moving with uniform velocity \( 40 m s^{-1} \) collides with another body of mass \( m_{2} \) at rest, then the two together begin to move with uniform velocity of \( 30 m s^{-1} . \) The ratio of the mass (i.e., \( \frac{m_{1}}{m_{2}} \) ) of the two bodies will be

  • A. 1: 3
  • B. 3: 1
  • C. 1: 1.33
  • D. 1: 0.75

Step-by-step solution

Using conservation of linear momentum: initial momentum = m1*40 + m2*0 = 40 m1. Final momentum = (m1+m2)*30. Equating: 40 m1 = 30(m1+m2) => 10 m1 = 30 m2 => m1/m2 = 3. Therefore ratio m1:m2 = 3:1.
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