Question

During inelastic collision the Kinetic energy(0.5mv^2) of system is not conserved. The mass cannot change so it means that the velocity changes i.e. lost butthe momentum(mv) is conserved. How????

Answer 1

During inelastic collision the kinetic energy can't be tracked and hence proved conserved as some part of energy gets transformed into some other form like sound and heat etc.

"Energy and momentum are always conserved."

The sum of all types of energy (including kinetic) is the same before and after the collision.

As the energy is transformed to some other form it and the collision is inelastic the remaining energy gets distributed in the whole body after the collision .


The velocity gets changed before and after collision but the momentum remains conserved as the new body (maybe after splitting or sticking together ) has a new velocity of the center of the it's mass which is such that it remains conserved.

Answer 2

momentum is the always conserved