8.3 Elastic Collisions in Two Dimensions Elastic Collisions of Equal Masses |
| Instructions: Click on the "Start Simulation" button to open the applet window. Select the ratio of the projectile's final speed to its initial speed by using the scrollbar bar. I suggest starting with default value 0.5. Click on the launch button to start the simulation. You can click on the stop button anytime to interrupt the animation. The "spray" button launches a demonstration mode. Navigation: You can come back to this window by pressing the "Close Simulation" button on the bottom frame of the utility. |
| Explanation: This applet illustrates elastic collisions of two point masses as discussed in section 8.3. The masses are set equal to each other. You can view the results in both the lab's frame of reference or the center of mass frame of reference. As shown in example 8.3, knowing the ratio of the projectile's final speed to its initial speed is sufficient for determining both scattering angles. |
| Source: FUN@LEARNING.PHYSICS, by Mark Sutherland Go to the web site and link to the Online Library for further information. |