Angle of Deflection in Elastic Collision

AI Thread Summary
To determine the angle of deflection in an elastic collision between two objects of different masses, the initial conditions such as mass, initial angles, and speeds must be known. The solution involves using the conservation of momentum, as there is no net force acting on the system. The final angle can be derived by calculating the slope from the positions of the two objects and applying the arctangent function. This approach allows for finding the final angles without assuming one object is stationary. The discussion concludes that this method effectively solves the problem.
StarWarsNerd
Messages
19
Reaction score
1
This is the problem I am looking to solve: given two objects of different mass, find the angle of deflection after an elastic collision for each object.

For both objects we know:
  • m : Mass in Kilograms
  • θi : Initial Angle in Degrees
  • si : Initial Speed in Units per Second
  • sf : Final Speed in Units per Second
Looking For:
  • θf : Final Angle in Degrees
I have asked some of my colleagues at work how to do this without assuming one of the objects is stationary, and no one knew how, so I am curious if there is a formula or a way to derive the angle from this information.

SOLVED: I guess it is as simple as getting the slope from the position of the two objects then taking the arctan of that.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Conservation of momentum with the 2 objects applies since there is no net force in this system of 2 objects. Can you go from there?
 
Hi there, im studying nanoscience at the university in Basel. Today I looked at the topic of intertial and non-inertial reference frames and the existence of fictitious forces. I understand that you call forces real in physics if they appear in interplay. Meaning that a force is real when there is the "actio" partner to the "reactio" partner. If this condition is not satisfied the force is not real. I also understand that if you specifically look at non-inertial reference frames you can...
I have recently been really interested in the derivation of Hamiltons Principle. On my research I found that with the term ##m \cdot \frac{d}{dt} (\frac{dr}{dt} \cdot \delta r) = 0## (1) one may derivate ##\delta \int (T - V) dt = 0## (2). The derivation itself I understood quiet good, but what I don't understand is where the equation (1) came from, because in my research it was just given and not derived from anywhere. Does anybody know where (1) comes from or why from it the...

Similar threads

Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
8
Views
2K
Replies
10
Views
5K
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
3
Views
1K
Back
Top