Energy Sharing in Elastic Collisions

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around an elastic collision involving two objects with different masses and initial velocities. The original poster seeks to understand how to determine the percentage of energy each object retains after the collision.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the assumptions of the collision being perfectly elastic and the conservation of kinetic energy and momentum. There are inquiries about the principles that can be applied to solve the problem, as well as suggestions to simplify the notation for clarity.

Discussion Status

The conversation is ongoing, with participants exploring different principles related to the problem. Some guidance has been offered regarding the application of conservation laws, but no consensus or complete solution has been reached yet.

Contextual Notes

There is a focus on the definitions and assumptions regarding the collision, particularly whether it is perfectly elastic and how that affects energy conservation. The original poster expresses uncertainty about calculating percentages related to energy distribution.

fire526438
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A stationary object with mass mb is struck head-on by an object with mass ma that is moving initially at speed v0.
If the collision is elastic, what percentage of the original energy does each object have after the collision?

I don't know how to find percentage.
 
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Is the collision assumed to be perfectly elastic? i.e. is the total kinetic energy assumed to be conserved?
 
kinetic energy conserved
 
There are two principles you can use. Do you know which principles?
 
kinetic energy & momentum
but how to calculate
 
Correct.
First I would simplify the notation.
Why not call the stationary mass M and the other mass m.
Let m have intial velocity u and let final velocities of m be v and that of M be w.
Now apply those two principles.
 
conservation of KE: (1/2)mu[itex]^{2}[/itex] = ...
conservation of linear momentum: mu =...
 

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