Two Hockey Puck Collision: Calculating Speed After Impact

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the speeds of two hockey pucks after a collision, where one puck is initially at rest and the other moves at 5.4 m/s. The final speeds determined are 3 m/s and 4 m/s, with the angles of deflection being 33 and 46 degrees, respectively. The key concept emphasized is the conservation of momentum, which is a vector quantity, requiring the final momentum to equal the initial momentum in both magnitude and direction. The solution involves using vector analysis, specifically the sine law, to resolve the momentum vectors.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of momentum conservation principles
  • Familiarity with vector quantities and their representation
  • Knowledge of trigonometric laws, particularly the sine law
  • Basic physics concepts related to collisions
NEXT STEPS
  • Study vector addition and subtraction in physics
  • Learn more about momentum conservation in elastic and inelastic collisions
  • Explore trigonometric identities and their applications in physics problems
  • Practice solving collision problems using the sine law and cosine law
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding collision dynamics and momentum conservation in two-dimensional systems.

Morhas
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Homework Statement


Two hockey puck of equal mass undergo a collision on a hockey rink. One puck is initiall at rest while the other is moving with a speed of 5.4m/s. After the collision, the velocities of the pucks make angles of 33 and 46 (degrees) relative to the initial velocity of the moving puck. Determine the speed of each puck after the collision.


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



We have tried several failed approaches. The correct answer is 3m/s and 4m/s. What is confusing us is that the momentum should be conserved. So the sum of the two final momentums should be that of the initial momentum. Thanks in advance,
 
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Bump. Can anyone explain this? My friend and I have a test tommorow and we still don't see how this is possible. Thanks.
 
Morhas said:
Bump. Can anyone explain this? My friend and I have a test tommorow and we still don't see how this is possible. Thanks.
It is conserved. momentum is a vector quantity. The initial momentum is to the right. The final momentum, the vector sum of the 2 pucks after the collison, must be equal to and in the same direction as the initial momentum.
 
Ahhh I see. So What I've done is drawn the two vectors as two sides in a triangle, with the third side being the initial momentum vector. Then I solved with sin law. Thanks for the post!
 

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