Collision Modeling Activities

Install Ejs and then right-click on a launch node (green arrow) to copy the Free Fall model from this package into the Ejs workspace to do the following activities.

Head on collision

Set the impact parameter to zero and observe what happens in a head on collision between two equal masses?  Explain why the observed motion conserves both energy and momentum in a trivial manner.

Vector nature of momentum.

Why are the vertical velocity components of the two balls always equal but opposite if the particles have equal mass?  What impact parameter that produces a 90 degree angle between the balls after collision?

Unequal Mass

Extend the model to simulate the collision of two unequal masses of equal size.  Predict the result of a head on collision if the stationary mass m2 is much larger than the incident mass m1.  Repeat for a stationary mass m2 that is much smaller than the incident mass m1

Inelastic Collision

Change the model to simulate the collision of two particles that stick together.  Such a collision is said to be totally inelastic because the maximum about of kinetic energy is converted to heat.