CAIE FP2 2013 November — Question 5

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleFP2 (Further Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2013
SessionNovember
TopicMomentum and Collisions 1

5 Two uniform small smooth spheres \(A\) and \(B\), of equal radii, have masses \(2 m\) and \(m\) respectively. They lie at rest on a smooth horizontal plane. Sphere \(A\) is projected directly towards \(B\) with speed \(u\). After the collision \(B\) goes on to collide directly with a fixed smooth vertical barrier, before colliding with \(A\) again. The coefficient of restitution between \(A\) and \(B\) is \(\frac { 2 } { 3 }\) and the coefficient of restitution between \(B\) and the barrier is \(e\). After the second collision between \(A\) and \(B\), the speed of \(B\) is five times the speed of \(A\). Find the two possible values of \(e\).