Two metal balls with the same mass hang so that they are touching each other. The ball on the left is pulled to the side and released. What will happen when it swings back and hits the ball on the right?(1 point)

Question

Responses

Both balls will swing to the left.
Both balls will swing to the left.

The ball on the right will swing to the right.
The ball on the right will swing to the right.

The ball on the left will stop, and the ball on the right will remain still.
The ball on the left will stop, and the ball on the right will remain still.

Both balls will swing to the right.

Answer 1

When the ball on the left is pulled to the side and released, it will swing back due to the force of gravity. Upon hitting the stationary ball on the right, the left ball will transfer its momentum to the right ball. Since both balls have the same mass and are touching each other, the result will be that:

The ball on the left will stop, and the ball on the right will swing to the right.

This is an example of a perfectly elastic collision where the first ball transfers its momentum to the second ball, making the first one come to rest while the second one starts moving in the direction of the initial swing.