A particle A of mass 2.5kg is released from rest from the top of a smooth plane, which makes an angle of sin⁻¹ 0.2 with the horizontal. The particle A collides 2 seconds later with a particle B, of mass 3 kg, which is moving up a line of greatest slope of the plane. The speed of B immediately before the collision is 3.5 ms⁻¹. Immediately after the collision, B has a velocity of 0.5 ms⁻¹ down the plane. Find the distance A moves up the plane after the collision.

Q: What topic does this question test?

This question tests Mechanics in A-Level Mathematics (syllabus code 9709). It is worth 6 marks.

Q: Which exam paper is this question from?

This question appeared in the Cambridge A-Level Mathematics Oct/Nov 2025 examination, Paper 4 Variant 1 (9709_w25_qp_41.pdf).

Question

A particle A of mass 2.5kg is released from rest from the top of a smooth plane, which makes an angle of sin⁻¹ 0.2 with the horizontal. The particle A collides 2 seconds later with a particle B, of mass 3 kg, which is moving up a line of greatest slope of the plane. The speed of B immediately before the collision is 3.5 ms⁻¹. Immediately after the collision, B has a velocity of 0.5 ms⁻¹ down the plane. Find the distance A moves up the plane after the collision.

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