For the shown situation, if a collision between blocks A and B is perfectly elastic, then find the maximum energy (in joules ) stored in the spring.

Step-by-step solution

According to the conservation of linear momentum, P i →   =   P f → , where P i is the initial momentum of the system and P f is the momentum after collision. Spring has maximum energy at the time of maximum compression. And at maximum compression, velocity of both the blocks should be equal. Applying momentum conservation, P i   =   P f 3 × 2 = ( 3 + 6 ) × V where, V is the velocity of both the blocks after collision. V = 2 3   m   s - 1 Now, applying conservatio