Most Essential Learning Competencies

Compare and contrast elastic and inelastic Collisions

Apply the concept of restitution coefficient in Collisions
Objectives
Differentiate elastic and inelastic collisions
Relate the motion of center of mass of a system to the momentum and net external force acting on the
system
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“A student rest will remain at rest, unless Google Classroom reminds about the Deadline”

Newton’s Laws of Motion point out that once you applied a

force to an object, the object will react to it, or something will
happen to an object. This applied force can be applied in contact
or non-contact to the object. Force is classified into two: contact
and non-contact force.

Forces
It is the push or pull to an object.

Two Types of Forces: Contact and Non-Contact Force

Contact Force
Contact Force is a force that requires contact on both objects to occur. It is responsible for interaction
between objects (small or big).
It is also defined as the force acting at the point of contact between two objects against each other.
Contact forces is subdivided into the following components, one is the force that is perpendicular to the
surface of the object or the normal force, second is the force parallel to the surface of the object or the
friction force, and forces that opposes fluids.

Types of Contact Forces

1. Normal Force – a force exerted against the gravitational force present by the objects touching each
other. It is also known as the support force.
Example of normal force
a. the book is at rest on top of the table. Since the book is at rest,
it indicates that the net force is zero. Note that gravitational force is
acting in this book. And since the net force is zero, there is another
force that acting on it that balances the force. That is known as the
support force. The table pushes up the book with a force equal to the
weight of the book.

2. Tensional Force- a force applied to a rope, string, or cable that makes them to be compressed or to be
stretched by pulling on each side.
Example of Tensional Force
a. the pail was tied to the well
b. the cradle was tied on the rope at two ends
c. the star shaped Christmas lantern was hung on the ceiling

3. Frictional Force- a force created by both surfaces of the objects that is being rubbed against each
other resulting by moving in either same direction
or different direction.
Example of Frictional Force
a. the man is walking
b. the girl slide to slides
c. the boy rides to his bicycle

4. Air Resistance Force or Drag Force – is a force in the opposite direction of the object in air or fluid.
Example of Air Resistance Force
a. the sky diver jumps with his parachute
b. dropping the paper from a 2-meter height
c. the feather was flying through the air

Noncontact Force
It results when two objects interact without any physical contact with each other. The object tends to be
pulled or pushed without physical contact regardless of how far the object is.
It can be applying to the objects without touching.
It is also known as action at a distance force

There are types of noncontact force:

1. Magnetic Force – attraction and repulsion resulted by putting together the end of same poles or
different poles of the magnetic object. Magnetic force also resulted impacts of action induced by the
electromagnetic materials to produced magnetic fields. Magnetic fields are surrounded and produced by
magnetized material and by shifting into electrical charges such as those used in electromagnets.
Example of Magnetic Force

a. a compass
b. ref magnets
c. induction stove
2. Electrostatic Force-Just like magnetic forces, electrostatic
force are either attractive or repulsive resulted by positive
and negative charges of particles. Electrostatics force are
resulted by like charges that repel like protons and unlike
charges that attract like protons and electrons.
Example of Electrostatic Force
a. Combing hair with plastic comb
b. rubbing the balloon in fur
c. wiping of cloth into glass rod

3. Gravitational Force-is pulling of objects with masses towards the center of the earth.
Example of Electrostatic Force
a. ball dropped to the floor
b. the boy riding his bicycle down the road
c. The girl standing in top of the hill

These forces causes the objects to move. And may also change the momentum of the objects. But how
this objects change momentum? If it is conserved how can it happens?

Have you experience bumping into somebody? You collided with another person’s body. As you collided
with someone, sometimes you move backwards and sometimes you move forward. This is due to the
interaction / collision.

And sometimes you offer them with your deadly eyes. 

And back to Conservation of Momentum.

Conservation of Momentum

Conservation of momentum is important for it explains

the movement of billiard balls, scattering of bowling pins
by bowling ball, behavior of gas molecules etc.

It states that in the absence of external force, the momentum of the system cannot be change.

It means the total momentum of the objects colliding each other is unchanged before and after collision.
It means that after collision the motion and the momentum of the objects will change but the total or
the sum of the momentum will not change.

This can be explained by the third law of motion.

Law of interaction tells us that interacting bodies exert forces on each other. Forces that are equal in
magnitude but opposite in direction.

Fa on b = -Fb on a
Combining with the 2nd law of motion
mbab = - maaa
Rewritinhg the equation: a=∆ v/∆ t
We have:
mb ∆ vb/∆ t = - ma ∆ va/∆ t
mb( v’b-vb)/∆ t = ma (v’a – va)/∆ t

mbv’b-mbvb /∆ t = mav’a - mava /∆ t

By multiplying time of collision on both sides the equation for momentum will be
mava + mbvb = mav’a + mbv’b or pinitial= pfinal

Example #1:
1. A rifle within a mass of 5.0kg fires a 50g bullet at a speed of 300m/s. Solve the recoil velocity of the
rifle.
Given: mb=50g mr= 5.0kg v’b= 300m/s
Solution:
Equation to be used: mbvb + mrvr = mbv’b + mrv’r
r represents the rifle and b for bullet
*Remember that the rifle is at rest before it fires up.
Substitute the values:
(0.050kg) (0) + (5.0kg) (0) = (0.050kg) (300m/s) + (5.0kg) v’ r
v’r=( -15kg-m/s) / 5.0kg
v’r= -3m/s

Example #2:
How fast is the collision crash of 5000kg car moving with a velocity of 5.2m/s that hits a stationary
8000kg truck on africtionless track?
Given: mm=5000kg ms=8000kg vm=5.2m/s vs=0m/s
Solution:
Equation to be used: mmvm + msvs = (mm + ms ) v’ms
m represents moving car and s represents stationary car
(5000kg)(5.2m/s) + (8000kg)(0) = (5000kg + 8000kg) v ms
Vms = (26,000kg-m/s) / 13,000kg
Vms= 2m/s

Collision
It is an encounter between two particles resulting in exchange or transformation of energy.

Two types of collision: elastic and elastic

Elastic Collision
Kinetic energy is conserved.
An example is the gas molecules.
Conservation of Kinetic Energy’s Equation will be:
1/2m1v12 + 1/2m2v22 = 1/2m1v’12 + 1/2m2v’22

Inelastic Collision
When the colliding objects stick together after impact. Hence the velocity of the objects before and after
collision is the same.

The Concept of Coefficient of Restitution

As a number that is a variable with no units and ranges from 0-1. It can be used to identify the type of
collision happened in the colliding objects.

Perfect elastic collision=1

Partially elastic/ inelastic collision, 0<e<1
Perfectly inelastic collision, e=0

The values are the Experimental Law of Impact by Newton that illustrates the velocity of the two
impacting bodies and compares their speed of approach.
Coefficient of Restitution can be expressed as:

e=¿ v’/v
where :
v= initial velocity
v’= final velocity

Expanding the equation:

e= v’b-v’a/ vb-va
where:
va- initial velocity of object A
vb- initial velocity of object B
v’a- final velocity of object A
v’b- final velocity of object B

Example:
Determine the velocities of two masses after collision of a 5kg mass moving with a velocity of 6m/s and
a 4kg mass that is moving with a velocity of 3m/s if there are no external forces acting on the system. If
the e=0.5.
Given: ma=5kg mb=4kg va-6m/s vb=3m/s
Using the following equations:
mava + mbvb = mav’a + mbv’b
e= v’b-v’a/ vb-va
Substitute the values:
mava + mbvb = mav’a + mbv’b
5kg (6m/s) + 4kg (-3m/s)= 5kg v’a + 4kg v’b
30kg-m/s -12kg-m/s = 5kg v’a + 4kg v’b
18kg-m/s= 5kg v’a + 4kg v’b Equation 1

e= v’b-v’a/ vb-va
0.5= v’b-v’a / (3m/s – 6m/s) Cross multiply
0.5 (-3m/s) = v’b-v’a
v’b-v’a= -1.5m/s or v’b= v’a-1.5m/s Equation 2

Substitute Equation 2 (v’b= v’a-1.5m/s) in equation 1.

18kg-m/s= 5kg v’a + 4kg v’b
18kg-m/s= 5kg v’a + 4kg (v’a-1.5m/s)
18kg-m/s= 5kg v’a + 4kg v’a-6kg-m/s
18kg-m/s + 6kg-m/s= 5kg v’a + 4kg v’a
24kg-m/s=9kg v’a
v’a=24kg-m/s / 9kg
v’a= 2.67m/s

Sustitute v’a= 2.67m/s in equation 2

v’b-v’a= -1.5m/s
v’b-(2.67m/s)= -1.5m/s
v’b= -1.5m/s + 2.67m/s
v’b= 1.17m/s

To check we can use the equation: e= v’b-v’a/ vb-va

Substitute the values:
0.5= (1.17m/s – 2.67m/s) / (3m/s-6m/s)
0.5=0.5

Exercises:
Direction: Solve the following and show your solution.
1. What is the velocity and direction of the collision if a rail way train with mass of 6000kg is moving to
the right at 2.0m/s and collides with an empty freight train mass 3,000kg which is moving to the left on
the same track at 3.0m/s?
2. What is the velocity immediately after inelastic collision of a 4.0kg meatball that is moving with a
speed of 6.0m/s directly towards another 2.0kg meatball which is at rest?
3. Calculate the initial velocity of a bullet with a mass of 0.20kg that collides inelastically with wooden
block which has a mass of 2.5kg initially at rest and right after collision, the bullet and the block has a
velocity of 1.2m/s?
4. A 25kg object with 3.0 m/s velocity traveling to the right hits object B, which has a mass of 15kg and a
6.0m/s velocity moving and traveling to the left. After collision, determine the velocity of object A if
Object B:
a. remains traveling to the left for 3.0m/s
b. recoils to the right at 0.45m/s
c. remain together with object A
5. In a billiard table, a ball of mass weighing 70000mg rolls with a velocity of 3.0m/s and rebounds back
at 4.0m/s. Solve a. the change in momentum b. impulse given to the ball
6. Determine the magnitude and direction of the velocities of two identical steel balls, A and B, after
collision that travelling with initial velocities v a = 6m/s and vb=8m/s if the coefficient of restitution is
e=0.7.
7. A 5kg fish swimming 1m/s swallows an absent-minded 1kg fish at rest. What is the speed of the large
fish immediately after lunch? What should its speed be if the small fish were swimming toward it at
4m/s?

URL of the Images based on its appearance: https://www.google.com/search?

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Adapted from:
Dinglasan, M.etal. (2017) General Phyics 1.Mutya Publishing House Inc. Malabon City.
Santos, Nonato (2019) General Physics 1.Rex Book Store. Manila