A blue and a green billiard ball, each with a mass of 0.35 kg, collide directly. Before the collision, the blue ball had a speed of 4 m/s while the green ball had a speed of 3 m/s. After the collision, the blue ball stays in place while the green ball continues in motion.
In 3-4 sentences, represent the situation before and after the collision and calculate the speed of the green ball after the collision. Be sure to discuss direction.
1 answer
Before the collision, the blue ball was moving to the right with a speed of 4 m/s and the green ball was moving to the right with a speed of 3 m/s. After the collision, the blue ball stays in place, so its speed is 0 m/s. The green ball continues in motion to the right. To calculate its speed after the collision, we can use the law of conservation of momentum: mass_blue * velocity_blue + mass_green * velocity_green = mass_blue * velocity_blue_after + mass_green * velocity_green_after.