EventHorizon4
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Homework Statement
A particle of mass m is moving along the x-axis
with speed v when it collides with a particle of
mass 2m initially at rest. After the collision, the
first particle has come to rest, and the second
particle has split into two equal-mass pieces that
move at equal angles q > 0 with the x-axis.
What is true about the speed of the new particles?
Homework Equations
conservation of momentum:
mv = mv
The Attempt at a Solution
According to the answer, each new particle moves with a speed greater than v/2. This seems to violate conservation of momentum to me...but as most people get this question right, I'm probably missing something obvious...