Question

A body is moving towards a finite body which is initially at rest, and collides with it. In the absence of any external impulsive force, it is possible that

• A. Both the bodies come to rest
• B. Both the bodies move after collision
• C. The moving body comes to rest and the stationary body starts moving
• D. The moving body changes its velocity and the stationary body remains stationary

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (C)

The moving body comes to rest and the stationary body starts moving

The correct options are (b) and (c)

Step 1: Momentum conservation

When a moving body collides with a stationary finite body, momentum is preserved, and the velocities after the impact may be in inverse proportion to their masses or may be interchanged.

Step 2:

As a result, both bodies move following a collision, or the moving body comes to a halt and the stationary body begins to move.

If both bodies come to rest, then momentum will not be conserved. So, option (a) is incorrect.

Hence, the correct options are (b) and (c)