Oblique Collisions with a Surface
What are oblique collisions (with a surface)?
- In a normal collision a particle collides with a surface at right angles
- In an oblique collision the angle at which the particle collides with the surface is not 90°
- In oblique collisions
- there are two dimensions of motion of the particle to consider
- the velocity of the particle will change and so its momentum will change
- this is caused by an impulse from the surface to the particle
- the impulse acts perpendicular to the surface
What modelling assumptions are used for oblique collisions?
- Problems are usually presented with a diagram in plan view (i.e. from above)
- Modelling assumptions
- the surface the particle is moving across ('the floor') is horizontal
- the surface the particle will collide with ('the wall') is flat and fixed
- the 'floor' and 'wall' are smooth (no friction)
- particles are usually smooth spheres
- this is so that the impact of the collision can be considered as occurring at a single point in space
What equations are needed to solve oblique collision problems?
- In the diagram
- m s-1 is the velocity before impact, m s-1 is the velocity after impact
- ° is the angle of approach, ° is the angle of rebound
- N is the impulse (which always acts perpendicular to the surface)
- is the coefficient of restitution (between the particle and the surface)
- The component of velocity parallel to the surface remains unchanged
-
- The component of velocity perpendicular to the surface can be found by applying Newton's Law of Restitution
- Rearranging
- Dividing the above two equations eliminates and
- Since it follows that and so
(i.e. angle of rebound is less than or equal to the angle of approach)
How do I solve oblique collision problems?
- STEP 1
Draw a diagram (or add to a given one) showing important information in the question such as velocity/speed of approach/rebound, angle of approach/rebound, impulse - STEP 2
Write an equation for the motion parallel to the surface using
Write an equation for the motion perpendicular to the surface using - STEP 3
Using "square and add" and/or "division" to eliminate unwanted quantities
( can be used directly) - STEP 4
Answer the question by solving the relevant equation(s) for the required quantity
Exam Tip
- Problems will often refer to the speed (rather than velocity) of the particle before and/or after the collision
- This can be confusing but speed is the magnitude of velocity and so has components parallel and perpendicular to the surface
- Do not assume all surfaces ('walls') are orientated in a 'nice' direction
- e.g. parallel to the x- or y-axes in an xy plane, or parallel to the i or j vectors in a vector problem
- In questions given in vector form the direction of the impulse is often needed before the orientation of the surface can be deduced
- impulse is perpendicular to the surface
- draw, and if necessary, redraw, a diagram to help visualise the problem
Worked example
A smooth sphere is rolling across a smooth horizontal floor with speed 18 m s-1 when it collides with a smooth, fixed vertical wall. The angle of the collision with the wall is 52° and the coefficient of restitution between the floor and the wall is 0.45.
Find, the speed of the sphere immediately after the collision.