Collisions / Conservation of Momentum

Front

What is momentum?

Back

Front

What is the law of conservation of momentum?

Back

The law states that in a closed system, the total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.

Front

What happens to momentum in an elastic collision?

Back

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

Front

What happens to momentum in an inelastic collision?

Back

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

Front

What is an example of an elastic collision?

Back

An example of an elastic collision is a ping pong ball hitting a paddle.

Front

What is an example of an inelastic collision?

Back

An example of an inelastic collision is two cars crashing and sticking together.

Front

What is the formula for calculating momentum?

Back

Front

What does it mean for a collision to be perfectly elastic?

Back

A perfectly elastic collision is one where both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved, and the objects bounce off each other without any loss of energy.

Front

What does it mean for a collision to be perfectly inelastic?

Back

A perfectly inelastic collision is one where the colliding objects stick together after the collision, resulting in maximum kinetic energy loss.

Front

How does mass affect momentum?

Back

Momentum increases with mass; for a given velocity, a more massive object will have greater momentum.