In a perfectly inelastic collision, the two bodies
Correct answer: B. stick together and move with a common velocity, losing some kinetic energy
- A. bounce apart with no loss of kinetic energy
- B. stick together and move with a common velocity, losing some kinetic energy
- C. conserve kinetic energy but not momentum
- D. come to rest
Explanation
Momentum is still conserved, so the common velocity follows from the total momentum divided by the total mass, but some kinetic energy is converted to heat, sound and deformation. A bullet embedding in a block is the standard example. The bodies come to rest only in the special case where the total momentum happens to be zero.
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About Collisions
Collisions involve the conservation of linear momentum when bodies interact for a short time. The topic covers impulse, elastic and inelastic collisions, kinetic energy changes, and the coefficient of restitution, with calculations usually based on one dimensional motion. Momentum remains conserved in isolated collisions, but kinetic energy is conserved only in elastic collisions.
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