Question

A particle of mass m moving in the x-direction with speed 2v is hit by another particle of mass 2m moving in the y-direction with speed v. If the collision is perfectly inelastic, the percentage loss in the energy during the collision is close to

(a) 44%

(b) 50%

(c) 56%

(d) 62 %

Answer 1

Correct option (c) 56%
Explanation:

Conservation of linear momentum can be applied but energy is not conserved. Consider the movement of two particles as shown below.

Initial kinetic energy of the two particles system is