Elastic and inelastic collisions are types of collisions that describe how kinetic energy is conserved or transformed during the interaction of two objects. In elastic collisions, kinetic energy is conserved, whereas in inelastic collisions, some kinetic energy is transformed into other forms of energy, such as heat or sound, often resulting in objects sticking together or deforming.

Elastic And Inelastic Collisions

In an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved, allowing the colliding objects to rebound without any loss of energy to sound, heat, or deformation. These collisions are idealized scenarios often used in physics to model interactions where no energy is lost to external factors.

elastic collisions

inelastic collisions

types of collisions

Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion, and it is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the square of its velocity. This form of energy is a fundamental concept in physics, playing a crucial role in understanding the dynamics of systems and the conservation of energy principle.

kinetic energy

The conservation of kinetic energy principle states that in an isolated system with no external forces, the total kinetic energy remains constant during elastic collisions. This principle is crucial for analyzing systems where energy transfer occurs without loss to other forms, such as in idealized physics problems and certain real-world scenarios like billiard ball interactions.

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