Two blocks are free to slide along the frictionless wooden track shown below. Th

Question

Two blocks are free to slide along the frictionless wooden track shown below. The block of mass m1 = 5.09 kg is released from the position shown, at height h = 5.00 m above the flat part of the track. Protruding from its front end is the north pole of a strong magnet, which repels the north pole of an identical magnet embedded in the back end of the block of massm2 = 9.70 kg, initially at rest. The two blocks never touch. Calculate the maximum height to which m1 rises after the elastic collision.

Explanation / Answer

Two relationships characterize an elastic collision. Kinetic energy and momentum are conserved. As a result, the relative speed of the two bodies has the same magnitude and the opposite direction or sign.
v1i = sqrt(2gh) = 9.90 m/s, v2i = 0.
vreli = v1i - v2i = 9.90 m/s
vrelf = - vreli
vCM = v1i*m1/(m1+m2) = 3.407 m/s
v1f = vCM + vrelf*m2 / (m1+m2) = - 3.09 m/s
h = v1f^2/(2g) = 0.4854 m

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