Two identical smooth spheres collide head-on on a frictionless surface

PHYSICS · Subjective · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Linear Momentum · Linear Momentum

Problem

Two identical smooth spheres collide head-on on a frictionless surface. One sphere is moving with speed

u

while the other is at rest. Show that the percentage loss of kinetic energy in the collision is

50(1-e^{2})\%

, where

e

is the coefficient of restitution.