A 0.395-kg blue bead slides on a frictionless, curved wire, starting from rest at point in the figure below, where h = 1.50 m. At point , the blue bead collides elastically with a 0.625-kg green bead at rest. Find the maximum height the green bead rises as it moves up the wire.

Question

A 0.395-kg blue bead slides on a frictionless, curved wire, starting from rest at point  in the figure below, where h = 1.50 m. At point , the blue bead collides elastically with a 0.625-kg green bead at rest. Find the maximum height the green bead rises as it moves up the wire.

anonymous · Answer

Momentum conservation during the collision. This gives the speed of the bead immediately after the collision, and thus the kinetic energy at this instant.  Then use energy conservation to calculate the height.