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ehrenfest
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[SOLVED] coefficient of restitution
My book defines the coefficient of restitution as
[tex]\epsilon = \frac{|v_2-v_1|}{|u_2-u_1|}[/tex]
but does not really explain what u_1, u_2, v_1, and v_2 mean. Those terms are all scalars since the coefficient of restitution only "works" in one direction. But do they mean the difference between the magnitudes of the initial and final velocities? I am asking whether those terms can be negative depending on the direction the particles are moving after the collisions.
Homework Statement
My book defines the coefficient of restitution as
[tex]\epsilon = \frac{|v_2-v_1|}{|u_2-u_1|}[/tex]
but does not really explain what u_1, u_2, v_1, and v_2 mean. Those terms are all scalars since the coefficient of restitution only "works" in one direction. But do they mean the difference between the magnitudes of the initial and final velocities? I am asking whether those terms can be negative depending on the direction the particles are moving after the collisions.