A particle of mass m1 makes a perfectly elastic collision with a stationary particle of mass m2, where m1 m2. What is the largest possible angle by which the incoming particle can be deflected after the collision?

Question

A particle of mass m1 makes a perfectly elastic collision with a stationary particle of mass m2, where m1 > m2. What is the largest possible angle by which the incoming particle can be deflected after the collision?

Accepted Answer

arcsin(m2/m1). For m1 > m2 the heavy particle cannot be scattered backward; the maximum lab-frame deflection angle satisfies sin(theta_max) = m2/m1.

A particle of mass m1 makes a perfectly elastic collision with a stationary particle of mass m2, where m1 > m2. What is the largest possible angle by which the incoming particle can be deflected after the collision?

Solution

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