Collisions: Elastic and Inelastic
Helpful before this lesson
- Not completed: Momentum and Conservation of Momentum
- Not completed: Kinetic Energy
- Not completed: Conservation of Energy
- Not completed: Newton's Third Law of Motion
These topics can make this lesson easier, but you can start now.
Learning Objectives
- Students will understand elastic and inelastic collisions
- Students will apply momentum conservation in collisions
- Students will analyze energy changes in different types of collisions
Core Concepts
- Elastic collision: kinetic energy conserved
- Inelastic collision: kinetic energy not conserved (becomes heat, sound, deformation)
- Momentum is conserved in all collisions