In: Physics
What is collision?
Collisions occur when one object strikes another. Problems involving collisions are usually solved using conservation of momentum and energy.
It is categorized into two types,
Inelastic collisions.
Inelastic collision is such a type of collision that takes place between two objects in which some energy is lost. The special case of inelastic collision is known as perfectly inelastic collision where after collision two objects stick together. Incase of inelastic collision momentum is conserved but the kinetic energy is not conserved. Most of the collisions in daily life are inelastic in nature.
Elastic Collisions
Any collisions in which the collided objects get separated after collision is known as elastic collision. In case of elastic collision kinetic energy gets conserved. One must use both conservation of momentum and conservation of energy to find the motions of the objects later. Some examples of elastic collisions are: Ping-pong balls, billiards, etc.
We can predict the velocities after collsion by using law of conservation of momentum and the law of conservation of energy.