Collisions

Using the laws of conservation of energy it is possible to calculate the combined velocity of two astronauts colliding in space...

...in case that was on your bucket list :)

You don't need to memorise everything on this page (you will always have enough information to work out the answers from scratch), but taking the time to do so could help you to rule out some Paper 1 multiple choice answers under time pressure. 


Key Concepts

An elastic collision is one in which Ek and momentum are conserved.

 In a collision between two equal masses in 1D the velocities simply swap.

Essentials

When a body explodes, energy is given to the parts so Ek is obviously not conserved. However, momentum is conserved.

Test Yourself

Use quizzes to practise application of theory.


START QUIZ!
MY PROGRESS

How much of Collisions have you understood?