Problem 58778. Count collisions in an idealized block system

• Created by ChrisR
• Appears in Combinatorics I

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Two blocks, which have masses and , slide along a frictionless, semi-infinite track bounded by a stationary wall. Initially block 2 is not moving, and block 1 moves to the left with speed . All of the collisions are elastic.

Write a function to count the collisions between the two blocks and block 2 and the wall. For example, if the blocks each have mass of 1 kg and block 1 initially moves to the left at 0.5 m/s, there will be three collisions: the initial collision, a collision between block 2 and the wall, and a final collision between the blocks.

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Solution Stats

70.0% Correct | 30.0% Incorrect

• 10 Solutions
• 6 Solvers

Last Solution submitted on Feb 29, 2024

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