Chapter 8, Problem 2OQ

A head-on, elastic collision occurs between two billiard balls of equal mass. If a red ball is traveling to the right with speed v and a blue ball is traveling to the left with speed 3v before the collision, what statement is true concerning their velocities subsequent to the collision? Neglect any effects of spin. (a) The red ball travels to the left with speed v, while the blue ball travels to the right with speed 3v. (b) The red ball travels to the left with speed v, while the blue ball continues to move to the left with a speed 2v. (c) The red ball travels to the left with speed 3v, while the blue ball travels to the right with speed v. (d) Their final velocities cannot be determined because momentum is not conserved in the collision. (e) The velocities cannot be determined without knowing the mass of each ball.