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Question #bf36a

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Jun 6, 2015

If the collision is non-elastic, there are some loss in energy, therefore :

The mechanical energy and the kinetic energy aren't conserved.

However :

The momentum ( $p = m v$ $p = mv$ ) and the angular momentum ( $L = r m v$ $L = rmv$ or $L = I ω$ $L = I omega$ ) are still conserved.

In the case of a perfectly inelastic collision, the colliding masses will stick together; for the momentum, you would have something like :

$m_{1} v_{1} + m_{2} v_{2} = (m_{1} + m_{2}) v_{3}$ $m_1v_1 + m_2v_2 = (m_1+m_2)v_3$ .

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