Year: 1997
Paper: 2
Question Number: 10
Course: UFM Mechanics
Section: Momentum and Collisions 1
No solution available for this problem.
Difficulty Rating: 1600.0
Difficulty Comparisons: 0
Banger Rating: 1500.0
Banger Comparisons: 0
\noindent{\it In this question the effect of gravity is to be neglected.}
A small body of mass $M$ is moving with velocity $v$ along the axis of
a long, smooth, fixed, circular cylinder of radius $L$. An internal
explosion splits the body into two spherical fragments, with masses
$qM$ and $(1-q)M$, where $q\le\frac{1}{2}$. After bouncing perfectly
elastically
off the cylinder (one bounce each) the fragments collide and coalesce
at a point $\frac{1}{2}L$ from the axis. Show that $q=\frac{3}{ 8}$.
The collision occurs at a time $5L/v$ after the explosion. Find the
energy imparted to the fragments by the explosion, and find the
velocity after coalescence.