A smooth sphere A, of mass 3m, moving on a smooth horizontal table with speed 4u, impinges directly on another smooth sphere B, of mass 2m, moving with speed u in the opposite direction to A. The coefficient of restitution between A and B is e.
Rigid Body
A rigid body is an object which does not change its shape or undergo any significant deformation due to an external force or movement. Mathematically speaking, the distance between any two points inside the body doesn't change in any situation.
Rigid Body Dynamics
Rigid bodies are defined as inelastic shapes with negligible deformation, giving them an unchanging center of mass. It is also generally assumed that the mass of a rigid body is uniformly distributed. This property of rigid bodies comes in handy when we deal with concepts like momentum, angular momentum, force and torque. The study of these properties – viz., force, torque, momentum, and angular momentum – of a rigid body, is collectively known as rigid body dynamics (RBD).
At the moment of impact, the line of the centers of the sphere is perpendicular to a vertical wall which is at a distance x from the point of collision and nearer(closer) to B than to A, and B subsequently collides with the wall.
Find in terms of x, the distance of A from the wall at the instant when B hits the wall.
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