The core of the question is calculating the new speed vectors, after having stated two balls are bouncing together.

The key is working along the line joining the centers of the balls. I’ll consider here the case of the same masses (set to unitary value).

The stuff is arranged with following steps.

Ok, they’re touching. We’ll need the direction of vector, the line joining the balls centers (with as positive direction). So, let’s find (i.e.: cosine and sine).

Now we have the angle, we can find the speed components on the system.

For a single ball:

Using the rotation equations:

Now it’s easy to apply the physics of the system to the calculated components:

The // components don’t vary. For the components:

 Setting:

 We have:

  from (4.1.1)

  from (4.1.2)

 And also:

The first solution refers to the case of balls not crashing, the second, the meaning one, says the speeds are exchanged.

After having stated the balls are touching we need also a check about the signs of and :

++ They’re really crashing together (if )

+- Crashing

-- Crashing ( )

-+ Moving away

(In fact, in an animation program we also have to track the crash event in order to avoid its continuos firing when balls are near enough)

When you have new speed components, and therefore new speed vectors, expressed in terms of and // components, you have to back to the Oxy coordinates system, with the rotation:

1. Touch checking
2. Find
3. Find
4. Finds new components
1. Checks for signs
2. Find and
   That is: swaps and // remain the same
5. Back to Oxy and get new