What Makes a Collision Perfectly Inelastic?

• Definition: A perfectly inelastic collision happens when two objects hit each other and then stick together. After they collide, they move as one single unit.

• Momentum Conservation: The total momentum before the collision is the same as the total momentum after the collision. We can write this as:

  $m_1 v_1 + m_2 v_2 = (m_1 + m_2) v_f$

  This means we add up the weight and speed of both objects before they collide and it equals the weight and speed of them together after the hit.

• Energy Transformation: In a perfectly inelastic collision, some of the energy changes forms. This means that not all the energy stays as movement (kinetic energy). Instead, some of it turns into things like heat or sound.

• Contrast with Other Types:

  • Elastic Collisions: In these, both momentum and kinetic energy stay the same! Nothing changes.
  • Inelastic Collisions: Here, momentum is still conserved, but kinetic energy is not fully kept.

Understanding these ideas is really important for learning about how things move in physics!