Elastic and inelastic collisions

[mystreet123]

Homework Statement

A low-energy particle collides elastically with a stationary particle of the same mass. The angle between the subsequent paths of both particles are 90 degrees.
But when a high-energy proton collides with a stationary proton, the angle between the two paths is not 90 degrees. Why is it so?

Homework Equations

½ mu2 = ½ mv2 + ½ ms2

The Attempt at a Solution

I answered that it's because the collision was not elastic so the above equation couldn't apply. But the answer is that because the proton is moving near speed of light so it's mass is greater than rest mass. So is this collision between the two protons still an elastic one? How to know whether a collision is an elastic or an inelastic one by its nature? I saw on some websites they say subatomic collisions are elastic but from another past paper it says the scattering between electrons and hydrogen nuclei is an inelastic collision...

 

[ehild]

Homework Statement

A low-energy particle collides elastically with a stationary particle of the same mass. The angle between the subsequent paths of both particles are 90 degrees.
But when a high-energy proton collides with a stationary proton, the angle between the two paths is not 90 degrees. Why is it so?

Homework Equations

½ mu2 = ½ mv2 + ½ ms2

The Attempt at a Solution

I answered that it's because the collision was not elastic so the above equation couldn't apply. But the answer is that because the proton is moving near speed of light so it's mass is greater than rest mass. So is this collision between the two protons still an elastic one? How to know whether a collision is an elastic or an inelastic one by its nature? I saw on some websites they say subatomic collisions are elastic but from another past paper it says the scattering between electrons and hydrogen nuclei is an inelastic collision...

The collision is elastic if the colliding parties remain the same. If two protons collide, both of them remain the same protons. If an electron collides with a proton, you can get a neutron and a neutrino , for example; or you can get a hydrogen atom - these are inelastic collisions.

 

[mystreet123]

The collision is elastic if the colliding parties remain the same. If two protons collide, both of them remain the same protons. If an electron collides with a proton, you can get a neutron and a neutrino , for example; or you can get a hydrogen atom - these are inelastic collisions.

Thank you so much!

 

[Disputationem]

I never understood why the equation was ½ mu2 = ½ mv2 + ½ ms2 in the first place. I understand the mu and mv portion, but I don't quite understand the ms part of the equation. What is it derived from?

 

[jbriggs444]

I never understood why the equation was ½ mu2 = ½ mv2 + ½ ms2 in the first place. I understand the mu and mv portion, but I don't quite understand the ms part of the equation. What is it derived from?

Note that you are responding to a five year old thread to ask a peripherally related question.

My response moved to https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...sions-between-particles.1006366/#post-6531530