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tjohn101
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Homework Statement
A ball of mass 0.540 kg moving east (+x direction) with a speed of 3.70 m/s collides head-on with a 0.440 kg ball at rest. If the collision is perfectly elastic, what will be the speed and direction of each ball after the collision?
ball originally at rest m/s east
ball originally moving east m/s east
Known/Unknowns:
m1= .540 kg
Vi1= 3.70 m/s
Vf1= ?
m2= .440 kg
Vi2= 0 m/s
Vf2= ?
Homework Equations
[tex]
\frac{1}{2}m_1vi_1^2 + \frac{1}{2}m_2vi_2^2 = \frac{1}{2}m_1vf_1^2 + \frac{1}{2}m_2vf_2^2
[/tex]
[tex]
m_1\vec{vi}_1 + m_2\vec{vi}_2 = m_1\vec{vf}_1 + m_2\vec{vf}_2
[/tex]
Did I miss any?
The Attempt at a Solution
I've tried plugging everything into the above equations, but the two unknowns have me stuck. I know I'm supposed to use basic Algebra to give each unknown it's own equation and solve from there, but I have honestly forgotten how. Any help on how to solve for one of the unknowns is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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