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What is an elastic collision?
A collision where the total kinetic energy of the system is conserved.
What is an inelastic collision?
A collision where the total kinetic energy of the system is not conserved; some kinetic energy is transformed into other forms of energy.
What is a perfectly inelastic collision?
A special case of inelastic collisions where the colliding objects stick together and move as one unit after the collision, resulting in maximum kinetic energy loss.
Define kinetic energy.
Energy that a body possesses by virtue of being in motion.
What does conservation of momentum mean?
In a closed system, the total momentum remains constant if no external forces act on the system.
What are the key differences between elastic and inelastic collisions?
Elastic: Kinetic energy conserved, no energy transformation to heat/sound. | Inelastic: Kinetic energy not conserved, energy transformed to heat/sound/deformation.
Compare energy conservation in elastic vs. inelastic collisions.
Elastic: Total kinetic energy remains constant. | Inelastic: Total kinetic energy decreases.
Compare and contrast inelastic and perfectly inelastic collisions.
Inelastic: Objects may or may not stick together, KE not conserved. | Perfectly Inelastic: Objects stick together, KE not conserved, maximum KE loss.
Elastic vs. Inelastic: What happens to the objects after the collision?
Elastic: Objects bounce off each other. | Inelastic: Objects may bounce off each other or stick together (perfectly inelastic).
Elastic vs. Inelastic: Give examples.
Elastic: Billiard balls colliding. | Inelastic: Ball of clay hitting the floor.
What happens when kinetic energy is not conserved in a collision?
The collision is inelastic, and kinetic energy is transformed into other forms of energy like heat, sound, or deformation.
What is the effect of nonconservative forces like friction on a collision?
Kinetic energy is dissipated from the system, leading to an inelastic collision.
What happens when two objects stick together after a collision?
The collision is perfectly inelastic, and they move as one unit with the same final velocity.
What is the effect of increasing the masses of colliding objects on the final velocity in a perfectly inelastic collision?
For the same initial velocities, the final velocity of the combined mass will generally decrease, according to the conservation of momentum.
What happens when a collision occurs on a surface with friction?
The change in total kinetic energy of the system will be lower (more negative) due to the additional energy loss from friction.