Center of Mass, Momentum & Collision

JEE Main level, single correct, medium

23 of 130

Question 23 of 130

An alpha- particle of mass mm suffers 1−1- dimensional elastic collision with a nucleus at rest of unknown mass. It is scattered directly backwards losing 6464% of its initial kinetic energy. The mass of the nucleus is

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Answer: (B) 4m4m



From momentum conservation,

mv+0=−mv1+Mv2...(1)mv+0=-m{v}_{1}+M{v}_{2}...(1)

Using kinetic energy conservation,


12mv2=12mv12+12Mv22⇒12mv2=0.36×12mv2+12Mv22⇒0.64mv2=Mv22⇒v2=0.8vmM\dfrac{1}{2}m{v}^{2}=\dfrac{1}{2}m{v}_{1}^{2}+\dfrac{1}{2}M{v}_{2}^{2} \Rightarrow \dfrac{1}{2}m{v}^{2}=0.36\times \dfrac{1}{2}m{v}^{2}+\dfrac{1}{2}M{v}_{2}^{2} \Rightarrow 0.64m{v}^{2}=M{v}_{2}^{2} \Rightarrow {v}_{2}=0.8v\sqrt{\dfrac{m}{M}}

As it retain
3636%,⇒0.36×(12mv2)=12mv12⇒0.36v2=v12\Rightarrow 0.36\times \left(\dfrac{1}{2}m{v}^{2}\right)=\dfrac{1}{2}m{v}_{1}^{2}\Rightarrow 0.36{v}^{2}={v}_{1}^{2} Hence, v1=0.6v{v}_{1}=0.6v
From
(1)(1), mv=−m(0.6v)+M(0.8vmM)mv=-m\left(0.6v\right)+M\left(0.8v\sqrt{\dfrac{m}{M}}\right)
⇒1=−0.6+0.8Mm\Rightarrow 1=-0.6+0.8\sqrt{\dfrac{M}{m}}
On solving, we get
M=4mM=4m

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