Past exam of the physics 1 paper of the University of Oxford / 2018 / 4 / Solution

Choose the initial incident velocity as $u_1\hat{\mathbf{x}}$. The centre-of-mass velocity in the laboratory frame isIn the centre-of-mass frame, the initial velocities are ${\mathbf{u}}_1^{\ast }=m_2{u}_1\hat{\mathbf{x}}/(m_1+m_2)$ and ${\mathbf{u}}_2^{\ast }=-m_1{u}_1\hat{\mathbf{x}}/(m_1+m_2)$. Conservation of momentum and kinetic energy in an elastic collision preserves these two speed magnitudes. Let ${\theta }^{\ast }$ be the outgoing angle of particle 1 in that frame, measured from the initial positive $x$ direction. ThenAdding $\mathbf{V}$ to transform back to the laboratory frame givesThe nonnegative laboratory recoil angle ${\theta }_2$ is measured below the incident axis in this choice of scattering plane. Hence the recoil angle in a two-body elastic collision obeysThe source identity therefore uses ${\theta }^{\ast }$ for the projectile's outgoing direction in the centre-of-mass frame. If instead it denotes particle 2's outgoing direction, the corresponding expression has $1+\cos {\theta }^{\ast }$ in the denominator. A signed laboratory angle for the drawn target trajectory would carry a minus sign. At zero deflection the target remains at rest, so its direction is undefined; ${\theta }_2\to \pi /2$ is a limit.