A rocket is moving in a gravity-free space with a constant acceleration of 2 m/s² along +x direction. The length of a chamber inside the rocket is 4 m. A ball is thrown from the left end of the chamber in +x direction with a speed of 0.3 m/s relative to the rocket. At the same time, another ball is thrown in -x direction with a speed of 0.2 m/s from its right end relative to the rocket. The time in seconds when the two balls hit each other is?
Solution:
From the reference frame of the rocket, the magnitude of the relative velocity of one ball with respect to the other is (0.2 + 0.3) = 0.5 m/s. So time taken = Relative Separation / Relative velocity = 4 / 0.5 = 8 s