perfectly inelastic collisions

[thebillsfan]

just a quick question: i know they occur when two objects "stick together" but is the "official" physics def of a perfectly inelastic collision one with the greatest loss of kinetic energy of the system? another phrasing of the ? would be: can you have an KE loss in a partially elastic collision that is GREATER than a perfectly inelastic collision of the same system?

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[inaccensa]

just a quick question: i know they occur when two objects "stick together" but is the "official" physics def of a perfectly inelastic collision one with the greatest loss of kinetic energy of the system? another phrasing of the ? would be: can you have an KE loss in a partially elastic collision that is GREATER than a perfectly inelastic collision of the same system?

Perfectly inelastic has the greatest loss in KE? I would think it will be inelastic collision.

 

[the freest man]

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[ksmi117]

A perfectly inelastic collision gives the most KE loss.

In all collisions, momentum is conversed. KE is only conserved in perfectly elastic collisions. As the reaction becomes less elastic, the KE loss increases.