Elastic Collisions
Reference from the original Physics I textbook.
- Elastic Collisions
Collisions between two objects which conserves the kinetic energy of the objects.
- Related Glossary Terms
- Index
Glossary and deeper reading · 2 refreshers
These editorial refreshers supplement the reading. Definitions and examples are added guidance; original source wording and recorded answers remain in their original context.
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Elastic collision
An elastic collision conserves the total kinetic energy of the colliding system. Total momentum is also conserved when the system has negligible net external impulse, although each object’s momentum and energy can change. For example, ideal gas atoms redistribute their speeds in elastic collisions without changing the pair’s total kinetic energy.
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Kinetic energy
Kinetic energy is energy associated with motion relative to a chosen reference frame. For a nonrelativistic translating object it is one half of its mass times speed squared. For example, doubling a cart’s speed quadruples its translational kinetic energy when its mass stays fixed.