An inelastic collision is a collision in which there is a loss of kinetic energy. While momentum of the system is conserved in an inelastic collision, kinetic energy is not. This is because some kinetic energy had been transferred to something else. Such collisions are simply called inelastic collisions.

This means that if an object’s kinetic energy doesn’t change, then no work has been done on the object – whether or not a force has been exerted. slowing down, in which case the object’s kinetic energy decreases, or changing direction, in which case the object’s kinetic energy does not change.

Alternatively, the net work done an object will only result in a change in kinetic energy of the object. This means that energy has been transferred from the object to the source. If the net force on an object is zero, then the velocity of the object is either zero or constant.

Collisions in One Dimension

1. Mass m1 = kg , v1 = m/s.
2. Mass m2 = kg , v2 = m/s.
3. Initial momentum p = m1v1 + m2v2 = kg m/s .
4. Initial kinetic energy KE = 1/2 m1v12 + 1/2 m2v22 = joules.
5. Then the velocity of mass m2 is v’2 = m/s.
6. because the final momentum is constrained to be p’ = m1v’1 + m2v’2 = kg m/s .

The velocity of the system’s center of mass does not change, as long as the system is closed. The system moves as if all the mass is concentrated at a single point. However, the center of mass itself does not rotate; instead it will make a parabolic path, as if it was a point particle.

It can be easily verified that the velocity of the center of mass after the collision is the same as it was before the collision (as it should be of course since there are no external forces acting on the system). Equal Mass: m1 = m2. In head-on collisions, particles of equal mass simply exchange velocities.

No. The center of mass will not move, the ring will. In general ,you can say that the center of mass of a system tends to remain in its state of uniform velocity or of rest unless the whole system is being acted upon by an external force.

The individual masses will have their individual accelerations, but the center of mass accelerates about 0.33 m/s2 in the x-direction.