Two bowling balls, each with a mass of 5 kg, collide

Last updated: 7/24/2022

Two bowling balls, each with a mass of 5 kg, collide head-on. Before the collision, they are both travelling at the same speed (but with opposite velocities). a. Which of the following scenarios is consistent with momentum conservation? i. After the collision, both balls come to a rest. ii. After the collision, both balls bounce off each other with the same speed they had before the collision. iii. After the collision, both balls bounce off each other with equal speeds, but the speed is less than the speed they had before the collision. Suppose the initial speed of both balls is 5 m/s. b. If the collision is perfectly inelastic, what will the final speed of the balls be? c. Alice makes the claim that after the collision, both balls can travel at 6 m/s (in opposite directions). i. In this scenario, is momentum conserved? ii. Is energy conserved?iii. Is this a physically realistic scenario? Why or why not?