Question

What happens to the total energy after an elastic collision?

Answer 1

Elastic collision:

1. The system suffers no net loss of kinetic energy as a consequence of the collision is called an elastic collision.
2. In such an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.

Examples of elastic collision:

1. Whenever one ball at a billiards table collides with another.
2. There is no measurable difference in kinetic energy whenever the user throws a ball on the ground and it recovers to their hand.

Law of conservation of energy:

$\Rightarrow {\mathrm{k}}_1+{\mathrm{u}}_1={\mathrm{k}}_2+{\mathrm{u}}_2$

Here,

k₁ is the initial kinetic energy

k₂ is the final kinetic energy

u₁ is the initial potential energy

u₂ is the final potential energy

Total energy after an elastic collision:

1. The total energy of molecules stays constant sometimes during (before or after) collisions.
2. Energy is exchanged between the colliding molecules. Their own individual energies might alter, but their total energy remains constant.