Re: reflections on a neglected problem

[John Mallinckrodt <ajmallinckro@CSUPomona.Edu>]

On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, John D. Sample wrote:

> You guys took the problem a level higher than it was intended (and made it
> more interesting in the process).  Since the question asked for the "final
> velocities" I assumed the charges were of the same sign.  I had not solved
> even that problem when I posted it, but since then came up with a
> "solution".  Unfortunately the algebraic expression probably can't be
> solved analytically so a numerical method has to be used.  At that point I
> wondered whether a brute force numerical solution to the eqns of motion
> would have been just as good!

Chip,

Do I read you correctly as saying that you have actually integrated the
equations of motion and obtained an algebraic expression relating the
final velocities to the charges and masses?  If so, I'd be interested in
more information about the approach.  Outside of a slowly growing number
of special cases, I have only been able to solve the general problem via
brute force numerical integration using Maple.

John
----------------------------------------------------------------
  A. John Mallinckrodt      email:  mallinckrodt@csupomona.edu
  Professor of Physics      voice:  909-869-4054
  Cal Poly Pomona             fax:  909-869-5090
  Pomona, CA 91768         office:  Building 8, Room 223      
         web:  http://www.sci.csupomona.edu/~mallinckrodt/