Physics Problem - 57
A small ball of mass m, attached to a spring with stiffness coefficient $k$, makes harmonic oscillations in the direction of the spring axis with amplitude $A$. When the spring was compressed, a second spring pendulum of the same mass is placed in the path of the ball, both springs having a common axis and the equilibrium positions of the balls coinciding. Describe the further motion of the system in the following cases:
(a) The shock is central and perfectly elastic;
b) the impact is central and absolutely inelastic (i.e. the balls "stick together").
At the initial moment the second ball rests in the equilibrium position.