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Questions tagged [collision]

This tag is for questions relating to collision which is the interaction between two or more bodies that results in physical contact and an exchange of momentum between the bodies involved. When it happens, kinetic energy is often exchanged between the molecules’ translational motion and their internal degrees of freedom.

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0 answers
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Justifying that the gold nucleus is at rest in a Rutherford experiment

This is an example on the Rutherford Experiment from Young and Freedman's University Physics. In the last paragraph of the solution the book states that it is valid to assume that the gold nucleus ...
nomadicmathematician's user avatar
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0 answers
29 views

If a human falls upright into water, from air at terminal velocity of approx 80m/s, what could be an estimate for their velocity just entering water?

If a human falls upright into water, from air at terminal velocity of approx 80m/s, what could be an estimate for their velocity just entering water? Like just when they become submerged by the water
Yifan YIN's user avatar
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2 answers
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For an objective falling, reaching terminal velocity and then hitting the ground, how can I find the force it exerts on the ground? [closed]

For example object with v=tanh(0.1213)t/0.01236. m=69kg. I thought I had to use F=mv/t but that just gives the net force of the object while falling. I don't know how to find the force impacting on ...
Yifan YIN's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
44 views

Direction of impulse

My textbook has the following problem: A batsman deflects a ball by an angle of 45° without changing the initial speed which is equal to 54 km/h. What is the impulse imparted to the ball? (Mass of ...
archthegreat's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
42 views

Extra force in other frame paradox

Suppose there are two balls: one steel ball that cannot break with a mass of 10 kg, and another smaller wooden ball with a mass of 1 kg, which will break if a force of 10 N is applied to it. Consider ...
Paryag  's user avatar
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2 answers
62 views

Why do objects slow down when they hit the ground? [closed]

Say you drop an object on the ground. For the purpose of this question, I am just focusing on the slowing down of the object, not if it rebounds. I was just wondering which of the two reasons explains ...
user386598's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
68 views

How do you solve instantaneous 3 body collisions

A few years ago I built myself a very basic python program that did some very basic collision mechanics between particles with a mass and velocity and it was helpful in learning a few things and ...
Max's user avatar
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0 answers
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What are the characteristics of a non-relativistic collision?

I have a physics test tomorrow on special relativity and one of the questions on the previous test was as follows: "A particle of mass m hits another particle of the same mass that was originally ...
fiene's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
80 views

Do bodies stick together after an inelastic oblique collision?

My question is particularly about an oblique collision case. (For example a body having velocity along x axis approaching another with velocity along y axis) From what I know, in perfectly inelastic ...
User's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
30 views

Will the expression be same for $n$th and $(n+1)$th Coefficient of restitution?

Let's say a ball is dropped from the height h on the ground and bounces repeatedly. If the coefficient of restitution is e, the height to which the ball goes up after it rebounds for the $nth$ time is ...
Moksh Singh Dangi's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
75 views

When two objects collide, which directions do they go in after the collision?

I am watching this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhMMnIocR0&list=PL4VRaRxeNj-1F-JukcRVAzbiIi0ibrHqy. At 11:02, the author shows a simulation and says that for a Galton Board (https:...
bula's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
748 views

After how many bounces will a ball's mechanical energy equal zero?

This was a question I asked myself for fun. It turned out to be more difficult than I initially imagined. The Problem: Let's say a ball is dropped from h0. Air friction is negligible. The collisions ...
jazzblaster's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
82 views

Why do basketballs with more air in them bounce more than ones with less air?

I thought it this because more air means more pressure, so there will be more pressure when the ball is deformed and it will gain more kinetic energy as it rebounds. However, some sources say that ...
user386598's user avatar