BRAINCAKEElastic and Inelastic Collisions
In any collision or explosion in a closed system, total momentum is always conserved, and so is total energy. Kinetic energy, however, may not be conserved, because some can be transferred to other stores.
• Elastic collision: total kinetic energy is conserved. Collisions between gas molecules are elastic, and collisions between snooker balls are very nearly elastic.
• Inelastic collision: total kinetic energy decreases. Some is transferred to the thermal energy of the objects, to sound and to work done deforming them.
• Perfectly (totally) inelastic collision: the objects stick together and move off with a common velocity. This loses the most kinetic energy allowed by conservation of momentum.
Sign in free to see the rest of this lesson, the R.E.C.I.P.E. recall steps and the quiz
BrainCake is free. Make an account in seconds and pick up where this page stops.
More in Further Mechanics
- On the Road
- The London Eye
- A Spin Dryer
- Momentum as a Vector
- Conservation of Momentum in Two Dimensions
- Resolving Momentum in Collisions
- Kinetic Energy and Momentum - Ek = p2/2m
- Two-Dimensional Collision Questions
All 15 lessons in Further Mechanics · All Edexcel A-level Physics topics