Momentum: Elastic and Inelastic Collisions

Front

What is momentum?

Back

Momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity, represented by the equation p = mv.

Front

What is a perfectly inelastic collision?

Back

A perfectly inelastic collision is a type of collision where two objects stick together after colliding, resulting in a single combined mass.

Front

What is an elastic collision?

Back

An elastic collision is a collision in which both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.

Front

What is an inelastic collision?

Back

An inelastic collision is a collision in which momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is not.

Front

What is the law of conservation of momentum?

Back

The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant if no external forces act on it.

Front

What is the equation for calculating momentum?

Back

p = mv, where p is momentum, m is mass, and v is velocity.

Front

Give an example of a perfectly inelastic collision.

Back

An example of a perfectly inelastic collision is a car crash where the cars crumple together.

Front

Give an example of an elastic collision.

Back

An example of an elastic collision is the collision of billiard balls.

Front

What happens to kinetic energy in a perfectly inelastic collision?

Back

In a perfectly inelastic collision, kinetic energy is not conserved; some of it is transformed into other forms of energy.

Front

What happens to momentum in an elastic collision?

Back

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