What is the value of e (coefficient of restitution) for the following?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on determining the coefficient of restitution (e) for a ball colliding with a wall at a distance of 80 meters, given an initial velocity of 40 m/s at a 30-degree angle. The consensus is that for the ball to return along the same path, e must equal 1, indicating a perfectly elastic collision. However, participants raise concerns about the wall's positioning and angle, suggesting that the scenario may be flawed if the wall is vertical and beyond the ball's peak trajectory. The ambiguity in the problem statement leads to confusion about the conditions required for the ball to rebound correctly.

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  • Understanding of the coefficient of restitution (e) in elastic collisions
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  • Basic principles of kinematics, including velocity and distance calculations
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Kaushik
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Homework Statement
Find e if the initial velocity, ##u## , of the ball is ##40 \frac{m}{s}## at an angle 30 degree with the horizontal. It collides with the wall which is ## 80m## away. Find e if the ball returns through the same path.
Relevant Equations
.
1573199939647.png

This is the setup.

My attempt:

The ball must have the same velocity before collision as it has just after the collision as it has to return through the same path. Hence ##V_{approach} = V_{separation} \implies e = 1##. Is it correct? If not, why and how should I approach this question?
 
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[edit] e=1 for elastic is correct. Didn't look any further o:)
 
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Kaushik said:
Homework Statement: Find e if the initial velocity, ##u## , of the ball is ##40 \frac{m}{s}## at an angle 30 degree with the horizontal. It collides with the wall which is ## 80m## away. Find e if the ball returns through the same path.
Homework Equations: .

View attachment 252550
This is the setup.

My attempt:

The ball must have the same velocity before collision as it has just after the collision as it has to return through the same path. Hence ##V_{approach} = V_{separation} \implies e = 1##. Is it correct? If not, why and how should I approach this question?

This looks very odd to me. In order to return by the same path the ball would have to strike the wall horizontally. Does it reach the wall just at its highest point?

If not, then the wall would need to be tilted at just the correct angle to reflect the ball back the way it came.

Or, the ball would get a strange bounce - again at just the perfect angle to send it back the way it came.

The question doesn't look right to me.
 
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PeroK said:
Does it reach the wall just at its highest point?
Here, the height of the wall is not mentioned.

Also, why should the wall have a specific angle for it to return through the same path? For different ##e## it follows different path. They are asking us to find that value of ##e## such that it returns through the same path. Isn't? Am I misinterpreting something here?
 
Kaushik said:
Homework Statement: ... the initial velocity, ##u## , of the ball is ##40 \frac{m}{s}## at an angle 30 degree with the horizontal. It collides with the wall which is ## 80m## away. ... the ball returns through the same path.
How is this possible? The wall is beyond the peak of the trajectory.
Either the wall is at an angle or the ball had top spin.
 
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haruspex said:
How is this possible? The wall is beyond the peak of the trajectory.
Either the wall is at an angle or the ball had top spin.
What if the distance from the initial point to the wall is ## 30m##?
 
PeroK said:
This looks very odd to me. In order to return by the same path the ball would have to strike the wall horizontally. Does it reach the wall just at its highest point?

If not, then the wall would need to be tilted at just the correct angle to reflect the ball back the way it came.

Or, the ball would get a strange bounce - again at just the perfect angle to send it back the way it came.

The question doesn't look right to me.
(aha moment :doh:) Oh I just realized what you actually meant. Makes sense!
So either the value ##80m## or that the wall is vertical is wrong. What will we get if we consider wall to be at a distance of ##30m## away?
 
Kaushik said:
(aha moment :doh:) Oh I just realized what you actually meant. Makes sense!
So either the value ##80m## or that the wall is vertical is wrong. What will we get if we consider wall to be at a distance of ##30m## away?

Angle of incidence = angle of reflection for an elastic collision.

In any case, for the ball to rebound back the way it came the angle of incidence must be a right angle. Unless you have spin or the wall is uneven. With a brick wall, for example, the ball could strike the indentations between the bricks and come off at an unusual angle. But, I don't imagine we are considering that sort of thing here.
 
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PeroK said:
Angle of incidence = angle of reflection for an elastic collision.

In any case, for the ball to rebound back the way it came the angle of incidence must be a right angle. Unless you have spin or the wall is uneven. With a brick wall, for example, the ball could strike the indentations between the bricks and come off at an unusual angle. But, I don't imagine we are considering that sort of thing here.
The question is not that complicated, i.e. we are not considering the wall to be uneven.

  • If the wall is considered to be vertical then the ball should collide when it is at ##H_{max}##. So the distance of the wall from the initial point must be different (closer to the initial point). Isn't?
  • If not, then the wall should be inclined such that the ball collides orthogonal to the wall. Isn't?
 
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Kaushik said:
What if the distance from the initial point to the wall is ## 30m##?

Angle of incidence = angle of reflection for an elastic collision.
Kaushik said:
The question is not that complicated, i.e. we are not considering the wall to be uneven.

  • If the wall is considered to be vertical then the ball should collide when it is at ##H_{max}##. So the distance of the wall from the initial point must be different (closer to the initial point). Isn't?
  • If not, then the wall should be inclined such that the ball collides orthogonal to the wall. Isn't?

Yes. You could study those cases out of interest. But, I can't say what the questioner intended here.
 
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  • #11
PeroK said:
Angle of incidence = angle of reflection for an elastic collision.Yes. You could study those cases out of interest. But, I can't say what the questioner intended here.
I think as of now, I'll discard this question due to its ambiguity .
 
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