Recent content by nitrousuk

Scratch last post. Think I understand it now. Thanks! :)

Is it the tether itself which absorbs their initial momentum, allowing the kinetic energy to be transferred into movement in the opposite direction? When you say they move at a slower speed inwards towards each other, roughly how much so? Significantly or marginally? I think the issue with the...

I think the trouble was understanding how the vectors add up. Given the two initial vectors, equal in opposite directions (say +1 down the z, and -1 along the z). After the binding rope/chain becoming taut, if both masses have their kinetic energy canceled out, as well as accelerated to the same...

So assuming there are no elastic properties (perhaps a chain), then they would come to close to rest?

Given two equal mass bodies, moving in opposite directions with equal momentum, attached by rope. When the rope becomes tort, what happens? Does the momentum cancel out and they become close to at rest? Or do they move inwards at some rate? This question came up after watching Gravity :). This...