In: Physics
A completely inelastic collision occurs between two balls of putty that move directly toward each other along a vertical axis. Just before the collision, one ball of mass m1 is moving upward at speed v1 and the other ball of mass m2 is moving downward at speed v2. In the following, if there is gravity it has acceleration g.
(a) Suppose the collision happens very fast. What is the velocity of the putty immediately after the collision?
(b) Suppose the collision happens slowly, taking time ∆t. Now what is the velocity of the putty immediately after the collision.
(c) When the problem says that the collision happens fast or slow, how can we determine what fast or slow means? Is there a condition we know about before solving the problem that can we can use to test whether the collision qualifies as “fast”?
(d) A cylindrical asteroid of mass m0 and radius r is in space (no gravity) traveling through a dust cloud with initial velocity v0. It is traveling along the direction of its symmetry axis, so that dust sticks to the ‘front’ (round surface) of the asteroid. What is the velocity of the asteroid as a function of its total mass?