Rutherford fired a beam of alpha particles (helium nuclei) at a thin sheet of gold. An alpha particle was observed to be deflected by 90.0°; its speed was unchanged. The alpha particles used in the experiment had an initial speed of 2.4 ✕ 107 m/s and a mass of 6.7 ✕ 10−27 kg. Assume the alpha particle collided with a gold nucleus that was initially at rest. Find the speed of the nucleus after the collision.

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Chapter8: Linear Momentum And Collisions
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Problem 39PE: Professional Application One of the waste products of a nuclear reactor is plutonium-239 (239Pu)....
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Rutherford fired a beam of alpha particles (helium nuclei) at a thin sheet of gold. An alpha particle was observed to be deflected by 90.0°; its speed was unchanged. The alpha particles used in the experiment had an initial speed of 2.4 ✕ 107 m/s and a mass of 6.7 ✕ 10−27 kg. Assume the alpha particle collided with a gold nucleus that was initially at rest. Find the speed of the nucleus after the collision.
m/s

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