Practice Problems on Inelastic Collision
Problem 1: A 0.2 kg bullet moving with a velocity of 500m/s collides inelastically with a 0.5 kg wooden block initially at rest on a frictionless surface. After the collision, the bullet and the block move together. Calculate their final velocity.
Problem 2: Two railway cars, one with a mass of 1500 kg and the other with a mass of 2500 kg, collide inelastically. The lighter car is moving to the right with a velocity of 5m/s, while the heavier car is moving to the left with a velocity of 3 m/s. After the collision, the lighter car moves left with a final velocity of 1.2 m/s. Determine the final velocity of the heavier car and the coefficient of restitution.
Problem 3: A tennis ball of mass 0.06 kg is dropped from a height of 2 m onto a concrete floor. After the bounce, the ball rebounds to a height of 1.5 m. Calculate the coefficient of restitution for this collision.
Inelastic Collision
Inelastic Collision is a type of collision where momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is not. In such collisions, the colliding objects stick together, and some kinetic energy is transformed into other forms like vibrational energy or heat. This results in a loss of kinetic energy, which may transform into heat, sound, or deformation.
In this article, we will discuss all details related to inelastic collision such as definition, its types, examples, etc.