Physics - Collisions Flashcard

Front

What is Newton's first law of motion?

Back

An object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.

Front

How does Newton’s third law of motion affect collisions?

Back

It explains that when objects collide each object pushes the other, demonstrating action-reaction forces.

Front

What is a complex collision?

Back

A collision that involves many objects with multiple collisions.

Front

What is the purpose of proper safety features in a car?

Back

To guarantee that passengers will survive a collision with minimal injury.

Front

Why do passengers continue to move forward during a car collision according to Newton’s first law of motion?

Back

Because passengers will continue to move forward due to inertia.

Front

What is momentum?

Back

Momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity.

Front

What is the law of conservation of momentum?

Back

In a closed system, the total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.

Front

What is inertia?

Back

Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.

Front

What happens during an elastic collision?

Back

In an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.

Front

What happens during an inelastic collision?

Back

In an inelastic collision, momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is not.