Question
Design a macroscopic simulation using reasonably common materials to represent one very high energy particle gradually transferring energy to a bunch of lower energy particles, and determine if you end up with some sort of equilibrium.
Final Answer
Please see the solution video.
Solution video
OpenStax College Physics for AP® Courses, Chapter 15, Problem 16 (Test Prep for AP® Courses)
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Video Transcript
This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. This system is a bowling ball moving with high speed towards these bowling pins that are all initially at rest and so I am trying to represent a high energy particle transferring energy to a bunch of lower energy particles and after the ball hits, the pins will be moving and the ball will be going more slowly because some of its energy has been transferred to kinetic energy of the pins and so there's a kind of equilibrium in that the ball has lower kinetic energy and that energy is now being shared with the pins.