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cterence_chow
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What is a perfectly elastic collision?
Does it exist in the real world?
Does it exist in the real world?
A perfectly elastic collision is a type of collision in which the total kinetic energy of the system is conserved. This means that the objects involved in the collision bounce off each other without any loss of energy.
Yes, there are several real world examples of perfectly elastic collisions. Some examples include collisions between gas molecules, collisions between particles in a nuclear reactor, and collisions between subatomic particles in a particle accelerator.
In a perfectly elastic collision, the total kinetic energy of the system is conserved, while in an inelastic collision, some of the kinetic energy is converted to other forms of energy, such as heat or sound. This means that inelastic collisions result in a loss of energy, while perfectly elastic collisions do not.
While it is difficult to achieve a perfectly elastic collision in the real world, it is possible under certain conditions. In order for a collision to be perfectly elastic, the objects involved must be perfectly rigid and there can be no external forces acting on the system.
The conservation of energy is a fundamental principle in physics, and perfectly elastic collisions demonstrate this concept in action. In a perfectly elastic collision, the initial total kinetic energy of the system is equal to the final total kinetic energy, showing that energy is neither created nor destroyed, but rather transformed from one form to another.