How Does Mass Affect Velocity in an Elastic Collision?

[mayanfox]

The drawing shows a collision between two pucks on an air-hockey table. Puck A has a mass of 0.023 kg and is moving along the x-axis with a velocity of +5.5 m/s. It makes a collision with puck B, which has a mass of 0.048 kg and is initially at rest. The collision is not head-on. After the collision, the two pucks fly apart with the angles shown in the drawing.

http://www.webassign.net/CJ/07_32.gif

(Puck A is 65 degrees north of east, puck B is 37 degrees south of east.)


I used MaVa = MaVa(cos 65) + MbVb(cos 37), which gives me
.1265 = .0097202Va + .03833Vb. Since the total momentum in the Y direction was zero, I also used
Va(sin 65) = Vb(sin 37)
Va = .6640Vb or Vb = 1.506Va.

Every time I plug in those numbers I get a wrong value! Am I missing some important concept, or am I just making an algebraic error?

 

[Shooting Star]

> I used MaVa = MaVa(cos 65) + MbVb(cos 37)

You Va on RHS should be different from initial Va on LHS.

 

[mayanfox]

Aah, thanks for pointing that out. I had the Va on the LHS as Vo when I did the problem, though, so it didn't change my answer.

 

[Shooting Star]

> Va(sin 65) = Vb(sin 37)

Why? It should be MaVasin 65 = MbVbsin 37.