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fluidistic
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Homework Statement
The system is a table with 2 particles on it. A particle of mass 3kg is going at West with a speed of [tex]\frac{1m}{s}[/tex]. Another particle of 4 kg is going to North with a speed of [tex]\frac{5m}{s}[/tex]. When they are close enough they interact during 2 seconds and the first particle leaves out with an angle of about 53° ([tex]\arctan \left( \frac{4}{3}\right)[/tex]° ) measured from East to North, with a speed of [tex]\frac{5m}{s}[/tex].
a)Find the magnitude and the direction of the second particle after the interaction.
b)... (I'll do it alone)
c)Tell whether the collision is an explosive one or a plastic one.
2. The attempt at a solution I never faced such a problem before and I was going to ask to a helper at my University tomorrow but I just can't wait for that...
I'm more than 100% sure that the linear momentum is not conserved (2s is a lot for an interaction, furthermore that's why they ask if it was an explosive or a plastic collision. That means that the mechanical energy is not conserved hence nor is the linear momentum).
My guess : The second particle will leave out following an opposite direction with respect to the first particle but I'm not sure at all. If so, I don't know why it is like this. And much less I can say about its speed.
How can I tackle this problem?
Thanks in advance!