How fast was the parent?
Classical Mechanics
Level
2
Two particles of masses \(m\) and \(4m\) have velocities of \(4v\) and \(v,\) respectively. They are moving at an angle of \(30^\circ \) with respect to each other.
If the particles have come from a decay of a single parent particle, and both mass and momentum are conserved, how fast was the parent particle moving?
Note: For the purposes of this problem, ignore energy conservation requirements and relativistic effects.
by
Andrew Normand