Problem 8-34 Elastic collision

A superball of mass \(22\; g\) rolls with a speed of \(3.5\; m/s\) toward another (stationary) superball of mass \(27\; g\). If the balls have a head-on elastic collision, what are the velocities magnitudes and directions) of the balls after the collision?
[Ans. \(3.1\; m/s\) forward and \(0.4\; m/s\) backward]


As is the case with all problems in Physics, it is a good idea to make a drawing of the situation. For collisions the drawing should include the conditions before and after. Which drawing below is best?

Three possible diagrams of the superball; A, B, C

(A)

(B)

(C)