Can Kinetic Energy Be Completely Lost in a Collision?

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SUMMARY

In a collision, a system cannot completely lose its kinetic energy, as established in the discussion. The consensus is that in elastic collisions, such as with two identical billiard balls, kinetic energy is conserved, allowing the balls to bounce off each other. However, inelastic collisions, like two equal balls of damp clay that stick together, result in a loss of kinetic energy, but not a total loss. Therefore, the answer to the original question is A: true.

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  • Understanding of kinetic energy and its conservation laws
  • Familiarity with elastic and inelastic collisions
  • Basic knowledge of physics principles related to momentum
  • Concept of energy transformation during collisions
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TwinGemini14
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It is not possible for a system to lose all of its kinetic energy in a collision.

A) True
B) False

This question seems really tricky, but I believe the answer to be A: true. Even if two identical masses are approaching each other head-on at the same velocity (two billiard balls), when they collide they bounce off each other and continue with KE. Is this right?
 
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TwinGemini14 said:
It is not possible for a system to lose all of its kinetic energy in a collision.

A) True
B) False

This question seems really tricky, but I believe the answer to be A: true. Even if two identical masses are approaching each other head-on at the same velocity (two billiard balls), when they collide they bounce off each other and continue with KE. Is this right?

That is true for elastic collisions.

What about inelastic collisions - say 2 equal balls of damp clay that deform and stick together?
 

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