Before:

m1 m2
u1 u2
u1  u2
After:
m1 m2
v1 v2
v1  v 2
 m1 (u1  v1 )  m2 (v 2  u2 )
1
2 m1 (u
1
2
v )
1
2 1
2 m2 (v 2 2

2
u2 )

u1  v1  v 2  u2
u1  u2  v 2  v1

Velocity of approach = velocity of receding

On solving,

m1  m 2 2m 2
v1  ( )u1  ( )u 2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2
2m1 m 2  m1
v2  ( )u1  ( )u 2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2

Holds in all inertial frames !!!

Equal masses: m1  m2
m1  m 2 2m 2
v1  ( )u1  ( )u2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2
2m1 m 2  m1
v2  ( )u1  ( )u2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2
v1  u2
v 2  u1
velocities exchanged!!
Newton’s cradle
animation of air track
 Massive target at rest
m2  m1 , u2  0
m1  m 2 2m 2
v1  ( )u1  ( )u2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2
2m1 m 2  m1
v2  ( )u1  ( )u2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2
 v1  u1 and v2  0
 Lighter target at rest
m2  m1 u2  0
m1  m 2 2m 2
v1  ( )u1  ( )u2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2
2m1 m 2  m1
v2  ( )u1  ( )u2
m1  m 2 m1  m 2

 v1  u1 and v 2  0
An accident
 Elastic Inelastic

Momentum Momentum
conserved conserved
Kinetic energy Kinetic energy
conserved not
conserved
A COMPLETELY INELASTIC COLLISION

v v

V=0

initial momentum = final momentum = 0

1 2
initial kinetic energy = 2 mv
2
Q: By what fraction is the kinetic
energy of a neutron ( mass m1 )
decreased in a head-on collision with
an atomic nucleus ( mass m2 ) initially
at rest?
Fractional decrease in neutron K.E :
Ki  Kf Kf vf 2
 1  1 2
Ki Ki vi
For a target at rest:
m1  m2
vf  ( )vi
m1  m2
Ki  Kf 4m1m2

Ki (m1  m2 ) 2
m M m
M y
v
Q: A bullet with mass m, is fired into
a block of wood with mass M,
suspended like a pendulum and
makes a completely inelastic
collision with it. After the impact, the
block swings up to a maximum
height y. What is the initial speed of
the bullet?
m M m
M y
v
 mv  ( m  M )V
(m  M )
v V
m
Conservation of energy gives,
1
( m  M )V  (m  M ) gy
2

2
V  2 gy
(m  M )
v 2 gy
m
A car A of mass 1000 kg is traveling
north at 15 m/s collides with another car
B of mass 2000 kg traveling east at 10
m/s. After collision they move as one
mass. Find the total momentum just
after the collision.

N B
E A
 N V
M
mA vA  E

vB

mB
 A 
B
Px  p Ax  pBx  m A v Ax  m B v Bx
 2  104 kg m / s
Py  p Ay  pBy  m A v Ay  m B v By
 1.5  10 kg m / s
4

P Px  Py  2.5  10 kg m / s
2 2 4

Py
tan    0.75    37 0
Px
 y v2
Impact parameter

m2 2
b 1 x
m1 u1
v1
1) pix  pfx
 m1u1  m1v1 cos 1  m 2 v 2 cos 2
2) piy  p fy
 0  m1v1 sin 1 - m 2 v 2 sin 2
3) KE i  KEf
 1
2 mu 
1 1
2 1
2 m1v1 
2 1
2 m2 v2 2

4-unknowns, 3-equations: cannot be solved !!

 y
Vf
M
f
m1 v1 2 x
v2
m2
 1) pix  pfx
 m1v1  m 2 v 2 cos 2
 (m1  m2 )V f cos  f
2) piy  pfy
 m 2 v 2 sin 2  MV f sin 

2-unknowns 2-equations: can be solved!!

• What happens when water is poured
from one bottle into another ?
• Sand on a sheet of paper
Conclude:
• Momentum is always conserved in collisions, but energy may
or may not be.
• We have come to trust momentum conservation very much:
discovery of the neutrino, hints of black holes, discovery of
dark matter.
Figure shows an elastic collision of
two pucks on a frictionless table.
Puck A has mass mA=0.500 kg, and
puck B has mass mB=0.300 kg. Puck
A has an initial velocity of 4 m/s in
the positive x-direction and a final
velocity of 2.00 m/s in an unknown
direction. Puck B is initially at rest.
Find the final velocity of puck B and
the angles in the figure?
 y v2

mB 2
1 x
mA u1
v1
 K .Ei  K .Ef
1 1 1
mAuA  mAvA  mBvB 2
2 2

2 2 2
m A u A
2
 mA vA
2

vB 
2

mB
vB  4.47 m / s
pix  pfx
mAuA  mAvA cos  1  mBvB cos  2
piy  pfy
0  mAvA sin  1  mBvB sin  2
 1  26.60 ,  2  36.90
Two skaters collide and embrace in
a completely inelastic collision, A
has mass mA=83 kg, is originally
moving east with speed vA=6.4 km/h.
B has mass mB=55 kg, is originally
moving north with a speed vB=8.8
km/h. a): What is the combined
velocity V after impact? b): What is
the fractional change in the kinetic
energy due to collision?
a ) x  component : mAvA  MV cos 
y  component : mBvB  MV sin 
M  mA  mB
mBvB
tan    0.911
mAvA
  42.30
mBvB
V   5.21km / h
M sin 
 1 1
b) Ki  mAvA  mBvB 2
2

2 2
 3839 kg  km 2 / h 2
1
Kf  MV 2
2
 1870kg  km 2 / h 2
Kf  K i
fraction   0.51
Ki

51% loss