A block of mass slides without friction on a horizontal surface with speed and…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A block of mass m1 slides without friction on a horizontal surface with speed v0 and collides head-on with a second block of mass m2 that is initially at rest. The collision is perfectly inelastic; the blocks stick together and move as one mass immediately afterward.
(a) Derive an expression for the fraction of the initial kinetic energy that remains as mechanical energy immediately after the collision. Express your answer solely in terms of m1 and m2.
(b) For the special case m1=m2, evaluate the fractional kinetic energy loss numerically and interpret the physical significance of this result.
(c) Show that in the limit m2≫m1, essentially all of the initial kinetic energy is converted to non-mechanical forms. Explain why this limit is reasonable on physical grounds.
(d) Describe one experimental method you could use in a school laboratory to verify the expression derived in part (a), specifying the measurements you would need and how the data would be analyzed.