Motorcycle Safety

Classical Mechanics Level 2

A person, of mass \(m\), traveling on an indestructible motorcycle, of mass \(M\), at a constant speed of \(v\) collides elastically with an indestructible car that is not moving; what is the furthest this person will land from the motorcycle?

Details and Assumptions:

To make the problem easier assume there is no resistance and disregard the possible height difference between the feet and the ground.
Assume the motorcyclist launches at an angle \(\theta = \pi/4\).

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