FYKOS Year 25 Series 6 Problem 1 — shooting down a satellite · FYKOS 25 #25.6.1
Physics · mechanics
Problem
A small ball of radius r is placed on top of a bigger ball of radius R. The lowest point of the bigger ball is at height h above ground. Both balls are released simultaneously. Calculate the maximum height that can be achieved by the smaller ball. Assume that all collisions are perfectly elastic and that the mass of the smaller ball is negligible compared to the larger ball.
Bonus: Generalize the problem if there are N balls present. You can still assume that a smaller ball on top of a bigger ball has a negligible mass compared to the larger one.