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June 2020 p43 q1
3396
Particles P of mass m kg and Q of mass 0.2 kg are free to move on a smooth horizontal plane. P is projected at a speed of 2 m s-1 towards Q which is stationary. After the collision P and Q move in opposite directions with speeds of 0.5 m s-1 and 1 m s-1 respectively.
Find m.
Solution
By the conservation of momentum, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.
Before the collision, the momentum is given by:
\(m \times 2 + 0 \times 0.2 = 2m\)
After the collision, the momentum is given by:
\(m \times (-0.5) + 0.2 \times 1 = -0.5m + 0.2\)
Setting the total momentum before and after the collision equal gives: