before
after
Two particles of different masses approach each other at equal speeds, collide, and bounce off each other, as shown in the
diagram. As these are individual particles, none of the kinetic energy in the system can go into internal energy, which
means this collision is elastic. The particle coming from the left exits the collision making the same angle below the
horizontal as it made coming into the collision above the horizontal. The particle coming from the right bounces straight
back along the horizontal line from which it came.