Inelastic Definition and 495 Threads

This is the way I understand inelastic collisions. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this. In an inelastic collision, kinetic energy is converted into internal energy and is lost (often in the form of heat). So, one cannot say that energy is conserved. Momentum, however, is conserved in this...

Note: This is not a homework problem (it is far too advanced for a suitable homework problem). So don't move it to the homework category as that would not lead to interesting replies/attempts to solve this problem. This is simply a discussion problem for everyone here to think about. Consider...

Ok, the question is the following: "In a railroad switchyard, a 56 ton freight car is sent at 7.0 mi/h toward a 31 ton car that is moving in the same direction at 26 mi/h." - what is the speed of the pair after they couple together? -what fraction of the initial kinetic energy was lost...

Homework Statement Two 23-cm long pendulums (each made of a massless string and a ball) are initially situated as shown in the figure. The masses of the left and right balls are m1= .145 kg and m2= .200 kg , respectively. The first pendulum is released from a height d= .092 m and strikes...

[SOLVED] Partial Inelastic Collision Is it ok if I keep this here for my own reference (and others if it helps them)? I don't know why it helps to type everything out before I realize what I did wrong! But looking back on my work seems to reinforce what I learned. Homework Statement As...

After a completely inelastic collision, two objects of the same mass and same initial speed are found to move away together at 1/3 their initial speed. Find the angle between the initial velocities of the objects. I think that this question is dealing with collisions in two dimensions. My...

Homework Statement 2 equal masses travel in opposite directions at equal speeds. They collide in a perfectly (inelastic) collision. Just after the collision their velocities are: A)Zero B)equal to their original velocities C)equal in magnitude but opposite in direction of their original...

Homework Statement A bullet of mass m and speed v passes completely through a pendulum bob of mass M. The bullet emerges with a speed of v/2. The pendulum bob is suspended by a stiff rod of length L and negligible mass. What is the minimum value of v such that the pendulum bob will barely...

Homework Statement A particle of mass m1 and velocity u1 collides with a particle of mass m2 at rest. The two particles stick together. What fraction of the original kinetic energy is lost in the collision? Homework Equations Conservation of momentum law The Attempt at a Solution...

I am not even sure if my question itself is correct. According to ideal gas law, all the collisions for a gas molecules are elastic in nature. Now, suppose a hydrogen atom collides with a neutron (assuming 1-D motion for simplicity), will i consider that collision to be elastic always, or are...

Lets say an object with an initial velocity collides with a still object. Collision is perfectly inelastic and the surface is frictionless. How can i know how far it traveled? I solved for the sum of P final = the sum of P initial, but then i don't know how to relate to distance, all i have is...

A m=1.5 kg object moving at 14 m/s collides with a stationary 2.0 kg object. If the collision is perfectly inelastic, how far along the inclined plane will the combined system travel? Neglect Friction. Any help would be appreciated

Homework Statement Block A of mass, mA = 2.0 kg, is moving on a frictionless surface with a velocity of 5.0 m/s to the right and another block B of mass, mB = 8.0 kg, is moving with a velocity of 3.0 m/s to the left, as shown in the diagram below. The two block eventually collide. d. If...

I actually have two problems that I have been struggling with that are very similar, so I believe that I am making the same incorrect assumption for both problems, but I am at that point where I have been re-trying the problems for so long that I do not think I am going to find my mistake...

[SOLVED] About perfectly inelastic collision I have one problem about prefectly inelastic condition. When I read the reference book, it mentioned that when one object moving with an initial speed u1, and another object is in rest, after collision, if both object moved together as one object...

Homework Statement A ballistic pendulum is a device used to measure the velocity of a projectile. The projectile is shot horizontally into and becomes embedded in the bob of a pendulum as illustrated below. The pendulum swings upward to some height h, which is measured. The mass of the bullet...

Homework Statement A car with mass of 950 kg and speed of 16 m/s approches an intersection in the positive x direction. A 1300-kg minivan traveling at 21m/s is heading towards the same intersection in the positive y direction. The car and minivan collide and stick together. Fine the speed and...

I originally posted this in the homework section until I realized the homework section only covers through undergraduate courses. The course I am currently in is a graduate level Medical Physics course. So if you don't mind, here is the thread I posted in the homework section. I am...

I am preparing for a Nuclear Physics test. One of the homework problems asks the following: Choose the proper neutron interaction type for each of the following scenarios and explain why. Interaction types: elastic, inelastic, (n, \gamma),(n,2n),(n, \alpha). A. 10-MeV neutrons...

[SOLVED] Inelastic Question HELP! Homework Statement A 0.20 kilogram mass is sliding on a horizontal, frictionless air track with a speed of 3.0 meters per second when it instantaneously hits and sticks to a 1.3 kilogram mass initially at rest on the track. The 1.3 kilogram mass is...

Homework Statement A rifle bullet with mass 8.00g strikes and embeds itself in a block with mass 0.992 kg that rests on a frictionless, horizontal surface and is attached to a coil spring. The impact compresses the spring 15.0 cm. Calibration of the spring shows that a force of 0.750 N is...

Homework Statement A drunk driver strikes a parked car. During the collision the cars become entangled and slide to a stop together. The drunk driver's car has a total mass of 742 kg, and the parked car has a total mass of 776 kg. If the cars slide 18 m before coming to rest, how fast was the...

Ok, so I have this practice problem: a mass of 5 kg has hit a ball at 8 m/s. The ball it hit has a mass of 7 kg. What is the distance the ball traveled? It's really frustrating when my notes don't go over ANY of this.

Homework Statement What is the angle theta with respect to north made by the velocity vector of the two cars after the collision? Express your answer in terms of phi. Your answer should contain an inverse trigonometric function. the cars are both of mass m. Homework Equations I already found...

If a car crashed into a tree, or a head-on collision with another vehicle, the collision would be completely inelastic correct? What would the kinetic energy be converted to? Internal energy?

Homework Statement An atom of mass M is initially at rest, in its ground state. A moving (nonrelativistic) electron of mass me collides with the atom. The atom+electron system can exist in an excited state in which the electron is absorbed into the atom. The excited state has an extra...

Homework Statement George of the Jungle, with mass m, swings on a light vine hanging from a stationary branch. A second vine of equal length hangs from the same point, and a gorilla of larger mass M swings in the oposite direction on it. Both vines are horizontal when the primates start...

Homework Statement A block of mass m1=1.88 kg slides along a frictionless table with a speed of 10.3 m/s. Directly in front of it, and moving in the same direction, is a block m2=4.92 kg moving at 3.27 m/s. A massless spring with a force constant k=1120N/m is attached to the backside of m2...

Homework Statement Is it true that a completely inelastic collision can be elastic (i.e. KE could be conserved) such as when you fire a gun at a metal ball at rest and the bullet and the metal ball stick togethor? Isn't completely inelastic somewhat of a misnomer since it implies that the...

Can someone explain to me the vector nature of momentum in a case where two objects collide and stick together?

Homework Statement Your friend has just been in a traffic accident and is trying to negotiate with the insurance company of the other driver to pay for fixing his car. he believes that the other car was speeding and therefore the accident was the other driver's fault. He knows that you...

A particle with rest mass m_{0} moves at a speed of 0,8c. It's going to collide with a particle with rest mass 3m_{0}. If the latter was standing still before impact and if the collision is completely inelastic, what are the conservation laws valid? What is the final single particle rest mass?

Putty of mass 5 is compresses a spring with stiffness consonant 3. The spring is stretched and the putty has a completely inelastic collision with another putty of mass 15. How fast and how far do the putties travel? I have no idea how to begin. thanks,,

Homework Statement You are called as an expert witness to analyze the following auto accident: Car B, of mass 2100 kg, was stopped at a red light when it was hit from behind by car A, of mass 1400 kg. The cars locked bumpers during the collision and slid to a stop. Measurements of the skid...

Homework Statement Which of the following statements are true about elastic and inelastic collisions? True False for elastic collisions, linear momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not True False for inelastic collisions, neither linear momentum nor kinetic energy is conserved...

Hi there :biggrin: I'm having a bit of a conceptual difficulty regarding the equations for inelastic collisions. Suppose a body of mass M1, moving at initial velocity V1, collides and sticks to another body, mass M2, moving at some other initial velocity V2. They then move together with a...

Homework Statement This is a conceptual question for a lab. In the lab we used two gliders on a nearly frictionless airtrack on a level surface, with photogates set up to measure the velocities of the two gliders before and after the collisions. The second glider was initially stationary...

Forgive the probable incorrect use of words of physics, I'm not used to writing them in english :) Hope you will understand anyway. Object number 1 is moving horizontally (left to right) with Uniform rectilinear motion at the speed of 10.5 m/s. Its mass is 7.5 Kg. The coefficient of dynamic...

Homework Statement Two identical objects, each moving at 1m/s but in oposite directions collide partially inelastically in one dimension. Assume the final total kinetic energy is half the intial total value. Calculate the final speed of each object Homework Equations This is my...

Homework Statement A mass sits on the end of a spring and is at equilibrium. | | ,---. ___/'''\_ |/\/\/\/\/|_m_|________________()' o_____o '_________________ A car is costing gracefully towards the mass. The car has a semi-rigid rubber tire mounted on...

Homework Statement 1) Two identical bodies, each with rest mass m(o), approach each other with equal velocities u, collide and stick together in a perfectly inelastic collision. Determine the rest mass of the composite body. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution The...

Homework Statement In 1986, four high school students built an electric car that could reach a speed of 106 km/h. The mass of the car was just 60.0 kg. Imagine two of these cars performing in a stunt show. One car travels east with a speed of 106.0 km/h and the other travels west with a...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/5/c/b/5cbdceba601a68315f744dc1c06e9ba7.png" How wxactly has this equation be derived? http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/3/c/5/3c53f3d1c66725053decc7e3e546c32d.png" Can someone help me with the derivation. I can't trace the orgin of the second part od the...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/a/8/a/a8a9e87d40533ad47fadb40725a4a3e5.png" How wxactly has this equation be derived? http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/3/c/5/3c53f3d1c66725053decc7e3e546c32d.png" Can someone help me with the derivation. I can't trace the orgin of the second part od the...

almost there-inelastic collision at an angle Two cars, both of mass m, collide and stick together. Prior to the collision, one car had been traveling north at speed 2v, while the second was traveling at speed v at an angle phi south of east. After the collision, the two-car system travels at...

After a completely inelastic collision, two objects of the same mass and same initial speed move away together at half of their initial speed. (a) Find the angle between the initial velocities of the objects ∑pxi = mvi ∑pxf = 2mvfcosӨ mvi = 2mfvcosӨ ∑pyi= mvi ∑pyf = 2mvfsinӨ...

A 4.0 kg firework is tossed onto a hockey rink. As it slides, it explodes into exactly two 2 kg pieces. There is an x-y coordinate system painted under the ice. One part of the exploded firework has velocity 3.0 m/s along the y direction. The other part has a velocity of 5.0 m/s at an angle of...

You might or might not have seen the astro blaster. But if you drop two soccer balls (stacked together) you'll notice that the smaller top soccer ball lifts up to great heights. I am researching this phenomenon for my extended essay and would really appreciate it if you guys could provide me...

Imagine that two vehicles traveling on a frictionless surface crash into each other. Vehicle A is traveling due north, vehicle B is traveling due east, they smash into each other, and B skirts off at an angle exactly 60 degrees south of east while A skirts off at an angle exactly 60 degrees...

*** Elastic and Inelastic Collision explanation *** 1) Why energy and momentum are conserved in elastic collision? 2) Why only momentum is conserved in inelastic collision? Why energy is not conserved? Answers: Conservation of momentum is a consequence of Newton's third law. From the...