Solving Collision Problem: Finding Speeds of Balls After Impact

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A ball moving at 15 m/s collides with an identical stationary ball, resulting in the first ball deviating at -41° and the second at 24°. The discussion involves setting up equations for conservation of momentum in both x and y components. The equations are correctly established, allowing for the determination of the final speeds of both balls. By solving one equation for a variable and substituting it into the other, the speeds can be calculated effectively. The approach emphasizes using vector components to find the final velocities after the collision.
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A ball moving with a speed of 15 m/s strikes an identical ball that is initially at rest. After the collision, the incoming ball has been deviated by deta1 = -41° from its original direction, and the struck ball moves off at deta2 = 24° from the original direction. What are the speeds of the two balls after the collision?

I set up these two equations:
initial momentum = final momentum

x component: v1(initial) = v1(final)*cos(-41) + v2(final)*cos(24)

y component: 0 = v1(final)*sin(-41) + v2(final)*cos(24)

Did I set up this right?
How would I solve these equations?
 
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You have two equations and two unknowns and the relationships are linear! It's easy to solve. For example, solve the 2nd equation for v1_final in terms of v2_final then substitute that result into the first equation which you can readily solve for v2_final -which, in turn, let's you explicitly determine v1_final.
 
These 2 equations are separate components (X and Y). I can just solve for the 2nd one and plug into the first? I thought I have to solve each one individually and then combine them to find the hypontenuse (V_final).
 
Well if you solve for each then you can add their squares and find the square root to find the magnitude of the vector!
 
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