CAIE FP2 2012 November — Question 4

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleFP2 (Further Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2012
SessionNovember
TopicMomentum and Collisions 2

4 A particle \(P\) of mass \(2 m\), moving on a smooth horizontal plane with speed \(u\), strikes a fixed smooth vertical barrier. Immediately before the collision the angle between the direction of motion of \(P\) and the barrier is \(60 ^ { \circ }\). The coefficient of restitution between \(P\) and the barrier is \(\frac { 1 } { 3 }\). Show that \(P\) loses two-thirds of its kinetic energy in the collision. Subsequently \(P\) collides directly with a particle \(Q\) of mass \(m\) which is moving on the plane with speed \(u\) towards \(P\). The magnitude of the impulse acting on each particle in the collision is \(\frac { 2 } { 3 } m u ( 1 + \sqrt { 3 } )\).
  1. Show that the speed of \(P\) after this collision is \(\frac { 1 } { 3 } u\).
  2. Find the exact value of the coefficient of restitution between \(P\) and \(Q\).