An inelastic collision will take kinetic energy and transform it into some other types of energy like potential or thermal. (from my textbook). Am I not allowed to say that the initial kinetic energy of the bullet is equal to the potential energy imparted on the bob + what is left of the kinetic...
Looking back on the pdf, it is inelastic because kinetic energy is being transformed into potential energy.
But why can't we say that
initial kinetic energy = sum of final energies?
Homework Statement
A bullet of mass m and speed v passes completely through a pendulum bob of mass
M. The bullet emerges on the other side of the pendulum bob with half its original
speed. Assume that the pendulum bob is suspended by a stiff rod of length L and
negligible mass. What is the...