Elastic and Inelastic Collisions

Front

What is momentum?

Back

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

Front

What is the formula for calculating momentum?

Back

The formula for momentum (p) is p = mv, where m is mass and v is velocity.

Front

What is the principle of conservation of momentum?

Back

The principle 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 elastic collisions?

Back

In elastic collisions, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.

Front

What happens to momentum in inelastic collisions?

Back

In inelastic collisions, 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 the collision between two billiard balls.

Front

What is an example of an inelastic collision?

Back

An example of an inelastic collision is a car crash where the vehicles crumple together.

Front

How do you calculate the total momentum of two colliding objects?

Back

Total momentum is calculated by adding the momentum of each object before the collision.

Front

If two objects collide and one is stationary, how do you find the velocity of the moving object after the collision?

Back

Use the conservation of momentum: p_initial = p_final, where p_initial is the momentum before the collision and p_final is the momentum after.

Front

What is the significance of the total momentum being equal before and after a collision?

Back

It indicates that momentum is conserved in the system, which is a fundamental principle in physics.