Photo AI

A ball travelling at speed $u$ towards a wall collides with the wall at right angles - Edexcel - A-Level Physics - Question 9 - 2023 - Paper 4

Question icon

Question 9

A-ball-travelling-at-speed-$u$-towards-a-wall-collides-with-the-wall-at-right-angles-Edexcel-A-Level Physics-Question 9-2023-Paper 4.png

A ball travelling at speed $u$ towards a wall collides with the wall at right angles. The ball bounces off the wall at speed $v$ in the opposite direction. The time ... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A ball travelling at speed $u$ towards a wall collides with the wall at right angles - Edexcel - A-Level Physics - Question 9 - 2023 - Paper 4

Step 1

Calculate the change in momentum during the collision

96%

114 rated

Answer

The initial momentum of the ball before the collision is given by: pinitial=mup_{initial} = mu After the collision, the momentum becomes: pfinal=−mvp_{final} = -mv The change in momentum, therefore, is: Δp=pfinal−pinitial=−mv−mu=m(−v−u)=−m(u+v)\Delta p = p_{final} - p_{initial} = -mv - mu = m(-v - u) = -m(u + v)

Step 2

Determine the average force using the change in momentum

99%

104 rated

Answer

The average force FF can be calculated using the formula: F=ΔptF = \frac{\Delta p}{t} Substituting the change in momentum: F=−m(u+v)tF = \frac{-m(u + v)}{t} Since we are concerned with the magnitude of the force acting on the wall (which is positive), we take: ∣F∣=m(u+v)t|F| = \frac{m(u + v)}{t}

Step 3

Choose the correct expression from the options

96%

101 rated

Answer

The expression derived matches option A: F=m(u+v)tF = \frac{m(u + v)}{t}

Join the A-Level students using SimpleStudy...

97% of Students

Report Improved Results

98% of Students

Recommend to friends

100,000+

Students Supported

1 Million+

Questions answered

;