Travelling with a speed v , a neutron strikes a hydrogen atom in the ground state that is moving towards it with the same speed. Determine the minimum speed of the neutron for which an inelastic (completely or partially) collision may occur. The mass of the neutron mass of the hydrogen atom = 1.67 10⁻²⁷ kg .

Step-by-step solution

The neutron and the hydrogen atom have the same mass m and move towards each other with the same speed v . Since they have equal and opposite momenta, the center of mass of the system is at rest. The total kinetic energy of the system is available for the inelastic collision. The total kinetic energy is given by: K = 1 2 mv^2 + 1 2 mv^2 = mv^2 For an inelastic collision to occur, this kinetic energy must be at least equal to the minimum excitation energy of the hydrogen atom, which corresponds to the transition fro