Collision

A collision is an isolated event in which two or more moving bodies (colliding bodies) exert
forces on each other for a relatively short time.
Although the most common colloquial use of the word "collision" refers to accidents in which
two or more objects collide, the scientific use of the word "collision" implies nothing about
the magnitude of the forces.
Some examples of physical interactions that scientists would consider collisions:
An insect touches its antenna to the leaf of a plant. The antenna is said to collide
with leaf.
A cat walks delicately through the grass. Each contact that its paws make with the
ground is a collision. Each brush of its fur against a blade of grass is a collision.
Some colloquial uses of the word collision are:
automobile collision, two cars colliding with each other
mid-air collision, two planes colliding with each other
ship collision, two ships colliding with each other
Overview

Deflection happens when an object hits
a plane surface. If the kinetic energy
after impact is the same as before
impact, it is an elastic collision. If
kinetic energy is lost, it is an inelastic
collision. It is not possible to determine
from the diagram whether the
illustrated collision was elastic or
inelastic, because no velocities are
provided. The most one can say is that the collision was not perfectly-inelastic, because in
that case the ball would have stuck to the wall.
Collision is short duration interaction between two bodies or more than two bodies
simultaneously causing change in motion of bodies involved due to internal forces acted
between them during this. Collisions involve forces (there is a change in velocity). The
magnitude of the velocity difference at impact is called the closing speed. All collisions
conserve momentum. What distinguishes different types of collisions is whether they also
conserve kinetic energy.Line of impact - It is the line which is common normal for surfaces
are closest or in contact during impact. This is the line along which internal force of collision
acts during impact and Newton's coefficient of restitution is defined only along this line.
Specifically, collisions can either be elastic, meaning they conserve both momentum and
kinetic energy, or inelastic, meaning they conserve momentum but not kinetic energy. An
inelastic collision is sometimes also called a plastic collision.
A perfectly-inelastic collision (also called a "perfectly-plastic" collision) is alimiting case of
inelastic collision in which the two bodies stick together after impact.
The degree to which a collision is elastic or inelastic is quantified by the coefficient of
restitution, a value that generally ranges between zero and one. A perfectly elastic collision
has a coefficient of restitution of one; a perfectly-inelastic collision has a coefficient of
restitution of zero.
Types of collisions
There are two types of collisions between two bodies - 1) Head on collisions or one-
dimensional collisions - where the velocity of each body just before impact is along the line of
impact, and 2) Non-head on collisions, oblique collisions or two-dimensional collisions - where
the velocity of each body just before impact is not along the line of impact.
According to the coefficient of restitution, there are two special cases of any collision as
written below:
1. A perfectly elastic collision is defined as one in which there is no loss of kinetic
energy in the collision. In reality, any macroscopic collision between objects will
convert some kinetic energy to internal energy and other forms of energy, so no
large scale impacts are perfectly elastic. However, some problems are sufficiently
close to perfectly elastic that they can be approximated as such. In this case, the
coefficient of restitution equals to one.
2. An inelastic collision is one in which part of the kinetic energy is changed to some
other form of energy in the collision.Momentum is conserved in inelastic collisions
(as it is for elastic collisions), but one cannot track the kinetic energy through the
collision since some of it is converted to other forms of energy. In this case,
coefficient of restitution does not equal to one.
In any type of collision there is a phase when for a moment colliding bodies have same
velocity along line of impact then kinetic energy of bodies reduces to its minimum during this
phase and may be called as maximum deformation phase for which momentarily coefficient of
restitution become one.
Collisions in ideal gases approach perfectly elastic collisions, as do scattering interactions
of sub-atomic particleswhich are deflected by the electromagnetic force. Some large-scale
interactions like the slingshot type gravitational interactions between satellites and planets
are perfectly elastic.
Collisions between hard spheres may be nearly elastic, so it is useful to calculate the limiting
case of an elastic collision. The assumption of conservation of momentum as well as the
conservation of kinetic energy makes possible the calculation of the final velocities in two-
body collisions.
Analytical vs. numerical approaches towards resolving collisions
Relatively few problems involving collisions can be solved analytically; the remainder
require numerical methods. An important problem in simulating collisions is determining
whether two objects have in fact collided. This problem is called collision detection.
Examples of collisions that can be solved analytically
Billiards
Collisions play an important role in cue sports. Because the collisions between billiard balls are
nearly elastic, and the balls roll on a surface that produces low rolling friction, their behavior
is often used to illustrate Newton's laws of motion. After a zero-friction collision of a moving
ball with a stationary one of equal mass, the angle between the directions of the two balls is
90 degrees. This is an important fact that professional billiards players take into
account,
[1]
although it assumes the ball is moving frictionlessly across the table rather than
rolling with friction. Consider an elastic collision in 2 dimensions of any 2 masses m1and m2,
with respective initial velocities u1 and u2 where u2 = 0, and final velocities V1 and V2.
Conservation of momentum gives m1u1 = m1V1+ m2V2. Conservation of energy for an elastic
collision gives (1/2)m1|u1|
2
= (1/2)m1|V1|
2
+ (1/2)m2|V2|
2
. Now consider the case m1 = m2: we
obtain u1=V1+V2 and |u1|
2
= |V1|
2
+|V2|
2
. Taking the dot product of each side of the former
equation with itself, |u1|
2
= u1u1 = |V1|
2
+|V2|
2
+2V1V2. Comparing this with the latter
equation gives V1V2 = 0, so they are perpendicular unless V1 is the zero vector (which occurs
if and only if the collision is head-on).
Perfectly inelastic collision
In a perfectly inelastic collision, i.e., a zero coefficient of restitution, the colliding particles
stick together. It is necessary to consider conservation of momentum:

Where v is the final velocity, which is hence given by

The reduction of total kinetic energy is equal to the total kinetic energy before the collision
in a center of momentum frame with respect to the system of two particles, because in such
a frame the kinetic energy after the collision is zero. In this frame most of the kinetic
energy before the collision is that of the particle with the smaller mass. In another frame, in
addition to the reduction of kinetic energy there may be a transfer of kinetic energy from
one particle to the other; the fact that this depends on the frame shows how relative this is.
With time reversed we have the situation of two objects pushed away from each other, e.g.
shooting a projectile, or a rocket applying thrust (compare the derivation of the Tsiolkovsky
rocket equation).
Examples of collisions analyzed numerically
Animal locomotion
Collisions of an animal's foot or paw with the underlying substrate are generally termed
ground reaction forces. These collisions are inelastic, as kinetic energy is not conserved. An
important research topic in prosthetics is quantifying the forces generated during the foot-
ground collisions associated with both disabled and non-disabled gait. This quantification
typically requires subjects to walk across a force platform (sometimes called a "force plate")
as well as detailed kinematic and dynamic(sometimes termed kinetic) analysis.
Collisions used as an experimental tool
Collisions can be used as an experimental technique to study material properties of objects
and other physical phenomena.
Space exploration
An object may deliberately be made to crash-land on another celestial body, to do
measurements and send them to Earth before being destroyed, or to allow instruments
elsewhere to observe the effect. See e.g.:
During Apollo 13, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16 and Apollo 17, the S-IVB (the
rocket's third stage) was crashed into theMoon in order to perform seismic
measurement used for characterizing the lunar core.
Deep Impact
SMART-1 - European Space Agency satellite
Moon impact probe - ISRO probe
Mathematical description of molecular collisions
Let the linear, angular and internal momenta of a molecule be given by the set of r variables
{ pi }. The state of a molecule may then be described by the range wi = p1p2p3 ... pr. There
are many such ranges corresponding to different states; a specific state may be denoted by
the index i. Two molecules undergoing a collision can thus be denoted by (i, j) (Such an
ordered pair is sometimes known as a constellation.) It is convenient to suppose that two
molecules exert a negligible effect on each other unless their centres of gravities approach
within a critical distance b. A collision therefore begins when the respective centers of
gravity arrive at this critical distance, and is completed when they again reach this critical
distance on their way apart. Under this model, a collision is completely described by the
matrix , which refers to the constellation (i, j) before the collision, and the (in general
different) constellation (k, l) after the collision. This notation is convenient in proving
Boltzmann's H-theorem of statistical mechanics.
Attack by means of a deliberate collision
Types of attack by means of a deliberate collision include:
striking with the body: unarmed striking, punching, kicking
striking with a weapon, such as a sword, club or axe
ramming with an object or vehicle, e.g.:
a car deliberately crashing into a building to break into it
a battering ram, medieval weapon used for breaking down large doors, also
a modern version is used by police forces during raids
An attacking collision with a distant object can be achieved by throwing or launching
a projectile.

Momentum
There are two kinds of momentum, linear and angular. A spinning object has angular
momentum; an object traveling with a velocity has linear momentum. For now, and throughout
chapter 7, we'll deal with linear momentum, and just refer to it as momentum, without the
linear.
There are 4 really important things to know about momentum. The first is how momentum is
defined, as the product of mass times velocity:
Momentum: p = mv
The second note is built into this equation; momentum is a vector, and the momentum has the
same direction as the velocity.
The third point is the relationship between momentum and force. We've talked a lot about
forces in the last few weeks, and there is a strong connection between force and momentum.
In fact, Newton's second law was first written (by Newton himself, of course) in terms of
momentum, rather than acceleration. A force acting for a certain time (this is known as an
impulse) produces a change in momentum.

Again, this is a vector equation, so the change in momentum is in the same direction as the
force.
The fourth really important point about momentum is that momentum is conserved; the total
momentum of an isolated system is constant. Note that "isolated" means that no external
force acts on the system, which is a set of interacting objects. If a system does have a net
force acting, then the momentum changes according to the impulse equation.
Momentum conservation applies to a single object, but it's a lot more interesting to look at a
situation with at least two interacting objects. If two objects (a car and a truck, for
example) collide, momentum will always be conserved. There are three different kinds of
collisions, however, elastic, inelastic, and completely inelastic. Just to restate, momentum is
conserved in all three kinds of collisions. What distinguishes the collisions is what happens to
the kinetic energy.
Types of collisions: (momentum is conserved in each case)
elastic - kinetic energy is conserved
inelastic - kinetic energy is not conserved
Completely inelastic - kinetic energy is not conserved, and the colliding objects
stick together after the collision.
The total energy is always conserved, but the kinetic energy does not have to be; kinetic
energy is often transformed to heat or sound during a collision.
A1-D collision example
A car of mass 1000 kg travels east at 30 m/s, and collides with a 3000 kg truck traveling
west at 20 m/s.
(a) If the collision is completely inelastic, how fast are the car and truck going, and in what
direction, after the collision? What percentage of the kinetic energy is lost in the collision?
(b) What happens if the collision is elastic?
(a) Car crashes are often completely inelastic, with much of the kinetic energy going into
deforming the cars. Momentum is always conserved, though, so, using c for car and t for
truck (and f for final) the conservation of momentum equation is:

If we take east as the positive direction, then the truck's velocity goes into the equation
with a negative sign, so: vf = [ (1000) (30) + (3000) (-20) ] / (1000 + 3000) = -7.5 m/s, which is
7.5 m/s west
The change in kinetic energy can be found by adding up the kinetic energy before and after
the collision:

KE lost = 1050000 - 112500 = 937500 J
Percentage of KE lost = 100% x 937500 / 1050000 = 89.3%
So, a great deal of the kinetic energy is lost in the collision.
(b) What would happen if the car and truck were both made out of rubber and the collision
was elastic, with no loss of kinetic energy. In this case the calculations are a lot more
complicated, because we have to combine the energy conservation equation with the
momentum conservation equation:

In this case, after some nice algebraic manipulation (which is worth trying on your own), the
final velocities of the car and truck work out to:

Note that if you were driving the car, you would experience a much greater force in the case
of an elastic collision than in a completely inelastic collision, in which much of the energy is
absorbed by the deformation of the car. Let's say you have a mass of 50 kg, and that the
collision lasts for 0.1 seconds. In the case of the completely inelastic collision, your
momentum would change from 50 kg x 30 m/s east = 1500 kg m/s east to 50 kg x 7.5 m/s
west = -375 kg m/s east, which is a net change of 1875 kg m/s. This change in momentum is
produced by average force acting for the 0.1 s of the collision, so the force works out to
18750 N.
In the elastic collision, your momentum would change from 1500 kg m/s east to 50 kg x 45
m/s west = -2250 kg m/s east, for a net change of 3750 kg m/s, exactly twice that in the
completely inelastic case. The force you would experience would therefore also be doubled.
Back to impulse
Before doing an example of a collision in 2 dimensions, let's look at a short example of how
the impulse equation is applied. Recall that impulse is force acting for a particular time,
producing a change in momentum:

Consider hose spraying water directly at a wall. If 3 kg of water emerge from the hose every
second, and the speed of the water is 10 m/s, how much force is exerted on the wall by the
water?
The first step in coming to an answer is making an assumption that the water does not bounce
back from the wall, but is simply stopped by the wall. In this case, the change in momentum
for one second's worth of water is -30 kg m/s. To produce this change in momentum, the wall
must exert a force on the water of -30 N, which is 30 N in the direction opposite to the
direction the water travels from the hose. The water exerts an equal and opposite force on
the wall, 30 N in the direction the hose points.
Note that is the water bounced off the wall and came back with a momentum of 30 kg m/s
towards the hose that would represent a net change in momentum of 60 kg m/s towards the
hose, because momentum is a vector. In that case the force exerted by the water on the wall
would be twice as high, 60 N.

Types of Collisions
A collision is an event where momentum or kinetic energy is transferred from one object to
another. Momentum (p) is the product of mass and velocity (p = mv). A large truck massing
10,000 kg and moving at 2 meters/sec has the same momentum as a 1,000 kg compact car
moving at 20 meters/sec; they both have p = 20,000 kg m/sec. The other quantity that can
be transferred in a collision is kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion; it is
defined as K = (1/2) m v^2. The relationship between kinetic energy and mass is linear, which
means that a vehicle massing twice as much has twice as much kinetic energy. The
relationship between kinetic energy and velocity is exponential, which means that as you
increase your speed, kinetic energy increases dramatically.
There are two general types of collisions in physics: elastic and inelastic. Inelastic collisions
occur when two objects collide and do not bounce away from each other.
Momentum is conserved, because the total momentum
of both objects before and after the collision is the
same. However, kinetic energy is not conserved. Some
of the kinetic energy is converted into sound, heat, and
deformation of the objects. A high speed car collision
is an inelastic collision. In the above example, if you
calculated the momentum of the cars before the
collision and added it together, it would be equal to the
momentum after the collision when the two cars are
stuck together. However, if you calculated the kinetic
energy before and after the collision, you would find
some of it had been converted to other forms of
energy.
An elastic collision occurs when the two objects "bounce" apart when they collide. Two rubber
balls are a good example.

In an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic
energy are conserved. Almost no energy is lost to
sound, heat, or deformation. The first rubber ball
deforms, but then quickly bounces back to its
former shape, and transfers almost all the kinetic
energy to the second ball.
A car's bumper works by using this principle to
prevent damage. In a low speed collision, the kinetic
energy is small enough that the bumper can deform
and then bounce back, transferring all the energy
directly back into motion. Almost no energy is
converted into heat, noise, or damage to the body of
the car, as it would in an inelastic collision.
However, car bumpers are often made to collapse if the speed is high enough, and not use the
benefits of an elastic collision. The rational is that if you are going to collide with something
at a high speed, it is better to allow the kinetic energy to crumple the bumper in an inelastic
collision than let the bumper shake you around as your car bounces in an elastic collision.
Making their bumpers this way benefits the car companies: they get to sell you a new bumper,
and you can't sue them for whiplash.

Types of collisions
1.
Inelastic collision: conserved, but not KE. Example - rubber ball on a hard surface (ball
deforms internal elastic PE ).
2.
Perfectly inelastic collision: Two objects stick
together v
1f
= v
2f
v
f
. Conserved, but not KE. Conservation of gives,
m
1
v
1i
+ m
2
v
2i
= (m
1
+ m
2
)v
f
.
(6)
Example - two lumps of clay.
3.
Elastic collision: and KE are conserved. Example - two billiard balls (no deformations). We
have,
m
1
v
1i
+ m
2
v
2i

=
m
1
v
1f
+ m
2
v
2f
,
(7)
m
1
v
1i
2
+ m
2
v
2i
2

=
m
1
v
1f
2
+ m
2
v
2f
2
.
(8)
By combining these two equations we obtain a third (dependent) equation that tells us that
the relative velocity before collision is the negative of the relative velocity after collision:
v
1i
- v
2i
= - (v
1f
- v
2f
).
(9)

Momentum- Law of conservation of Momentum
MOMENTUM
Quantity of motion of a body is referred to as "MOMENTUM".
Definition
Momentum of a moving body defined as :
"the product of mass and velocity of a body is called MOMENTUM."
Mathematically
Momentum = mass x velocity

It is a vector quantity. Momentum is always directed in the direction of
velocity.
The unit of momentum is in S.I system kg .m/s or NS.
Momentum depends upon mass and velocity of body.
LAW OF CONSERVATION OF
MOMENTUM.

The law of conservation of momentum states that:
"When some bodies constituting an isolated system act upon
one another, the total momentum of the system remains constant."
OR
"The total momentum of an isolated system of interacting bodies remains
constant."
OR
"Total momentum of an isolated system before collision is always equal to total
momentum after collision."
Consider an isolated system of two bodies 'A' and 'B' as shown. The masses of
bodies are ma and mb and
MATHEMATICAL
REPRESENTATION

Consider two bodies of mass m1 and m2 moving initially with velocities u1 and u2.

Total momentum before collision = m1u1 + m2u2

Let after collision their velocities become v1 and v2.

Total momentum after collision = m1v1 + m2v2
According to the law of conservation of momentum
m
1
u
1
+ m
2
u
2
= m
1
v
1
+ m
2
v
2

Momentum and Its Conservation - Lesson 2 - The Law of Momentum Conservation
Momentum Conservation Principle
The Law of Action-Reaction (Revisited)
Momentum Conservation Principle
Isolated Systems
Using Equations as a Recipe for Algebraic Problem-Solving
Using Equations as a Guide to Thinking
Momentum Conservation in Explosions
One of the most powerful laws in physics is the law of momentum conservation. The law of
momentum conservation can be stated as follows.
For a collision occurring between object 1 and object 2 in an isolated, the total momentum of
the two objects before the collision is equal to the total momentum of the two objects after
the collision. That is, the momentum lost by object 1 is equal to the momentum gained by
object 2.
The above statement tells us that the total momentum
of a collection of objects (a system) is conserved - that
is, the total amount of momentum is a constant or
unchanging value. This law of momentum conservation
will be the focus of the remainder of Lesson 2. To
understand the basis of momentum conservation, let's
begin with a short logical proof.
The Logic behind Momentum Conservation
Consider a collision between two objects - object 1 and object 2. For such a collision, the
forces acting between the two objects are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction
(Newton's third law). This statement can be expressed in equation form as follows.

The forces act between the two objects for a given amount of time. In some cases, the time
is long; in other cases the time is short. Regardless of how long the time is, it can be said
that the time that the force acts upon object 1 is equal to the time that the force acts upon
object 2. This is merely logical. Forces result from interactions (or contact) between two
objects. If object 1 contacts object 2 for 0.050 seconds, then object 2 must be contacting
object 1 for the same amount of time (0.050 seconds). As an equation, this can be stated as

Since the forces between the two objects are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction,
and since the times for which these forces act are equal in magnitude, it follows that
the impulses experienced by the two objects are also equal in magnitude and opposite in
direction. As an equation, this can be stated as

But the impulse experienced by an object is equal to the change in momentum of that object
(the impulse-momentum change theorem). Thus, since each object experiences equal and
opposite impulses, it follows logically that they must also experience equal and opposite
momentum changes. As an equation, this can be stated as

The Law of Momentum Conservation
The above equation is one statement of
the law of momentum conservation. In a
collision, the momentum change of
object 1 is equal to and opposite of the
momentum change of object 2. That is,
the momentum lost by object 1 is equal
to the momentum gained by object 2. In
most collisions between two objects,
one object slows down and loses momentum while the other object speeds up and gains
momentum. If object 1 loses 75 units of momentum, then object 2 gains 75 units of
momentum. Yet, the total momentum of the two objects (object 1 plus object 2) is the same
before the collision as it is after the collision. The total momentum of the system (the
collection of two objects) is conserved.
A useful analogy for understanding momentum conservation involves a money transaction
between two people. Let's refer to the two people as Jack and Jill. Suppose that we were to
check the pockets of Jack and Jill before and after the money transaction in order to
determine the amount of money that each possesses. Prior to the transaction, Jack possesses
$100 and Jill possesses $100. The total amount of money of the two people before the
transaction is $200. During the transaction, Jack pays Jill $50 for the given item being
bought. There is a transfer of $50 from Jack's pocket to Jill's pocket. Jack has lost $50
and Jill has gained $50. The money lost by Jack is equal to the money gained by Jill. After
the transaction, Jack now has $50 in his pocket and Jill has $150 in her pocket. Yet, the
total amount of money of the two people after the transaction is $200. The total amount of
money (Jack's money plus Jill's money) before the transaction is equal to the total amount of
money after the transaction. It could be said that the total amount of money of the
system (the collection of two people) is conserved. It is the same before as it is after the
transaction.
A useful means of depicting the transfer and the conservation of money between Jack and
Jill is by means of a table.

The table shows the amount of money possessed by the two individuals before and after the
interaction. It also shows the total amount of money before and after the interaction. Note
that the total amount of money ($200) is the same before and after the interaction - it is
conserved. Finally, the table shows the change in the amount of money possessed by the two
individuals. Note that the change in Jack's money account (-$50) is equal to and opposite of
the change in Jill's money account (+$50).

For any collision occurring in an isolated system, momentum is conserved. The total amount of
momentum of the collection of objects in the system is the same before the collision as after
the collision. A common physics lab involves the dropping of a brick upon a cart in motion.

The dropped brick is at rest and begins with zero momentum. The loaded cart (a cart with a
brick on it) is in motion with considerable momentum. The actual momentum of the loaded
cart can be determined using the velocity (often determined by a ticker tape analysis) and
the mass. The total amount of momentum is the sum of the dropped brick's momentum (0
units) and the loaded cart's momentum. After the collision, the momenta of the two separate
objects (dropped brick and loaded cart) can be determined from their measured mass and
their velocity (often found from a ticker tape analysis). If momentum is conserved during the
collision, then the sum of the dropped brick's and loaded cart's momentum after the collision
should be the same as before the collision. The momentum lost by the loaded cart should
equal (or approximately equal) the momentum gained by the dropped brick. Momentum data
for the interaction between the dropped brick and the loaded cart could be depicted in a
table similar to the money table above.
Before Collision
Momentum
After Collision
Momentum
Change in
Momentum
Dropped Brick 0 units 14 units +14 units
Loaded Cart 45 units 31 units -14 units
Total 45 units 45 units
Note that the loaded cart lost 14 units of momentum and the dropped brick gained 14 units
of momentum. Note also that the total momentum of the system (45 units) was the same
before the collision as it was after the collision.
Collisions commonly occur in contact sports (such as football) and racket and bat sports (such
as baseball, golf, tennis, etc.). Consider a collision in football between a fullback and a
linebacker during a goal-line stand. The fullback plunges across the goal line and collides in
midair with the linebacker. The linebacker and fullback hold each other and travel together
after the collision. The fullback possesses a momentum of 100 kg*m/s, East before the
collision and the linebacker possesses a momentum of 120 kg*m/s, West before the collision.
The total momentum of the system before the collision is 20 kg*m/s, West (review the
section on adding vectors if necessary). Therefore, the total momentum of the system after
the collision must also be 20 kg*m/s, West. The fullback and the linebacker move together as
a single unit after the collision with a combined momentum of 20 kg*m/s. Momentum is
conserved in the collision. A vector can be used to represent this principle of momentum
conservation; such a diagram uses an arrow to represent the magnitude and direction of the
momentum vector for the individual objects before the collision and the combined momentum
after the collision.

Now suppose that a medicine ball is thrown to a clown who is at rest upon the ice; the clown
catches the medicine ball and glides together with the ball across the ice. The momentum of
the medicine ball is 80 kg*m/s before the collision. The momentum of the clown is 0 m/s
before the collision. The total momentum of the system before the collision is 80 kg*m/s.
Therefore, the total momentum of the system after the collision must also be 80 kg*m/s.
The clown and the medicine ball move together as a single unit after the collision with a
combined momentum of 80 kg*m/s. Momentum is conserved in the collision.

Momentum is conserved for any interaction between two objects occurring in an isolated
system. This conservation of momentum can be observed by a total system momentum
analysis or by a momentum change analysis. Useful means of representing such analyses
include a momentum table and a vector diagram. Later in Lesson 2, we will use the momentum
conservation principle to solve problems in which the after-collision velocity of objects is
predicted.

Conservation of Momentum
Momentum is conserved in any collision if the effect of any external forces present is
negligible relative to the effect of the collision. Consider a collision as shown in Figure (6.1).
Figure 6.1: 1-D Collision

Apply the impulse-momentum theorem to m1 and m2 separately,
t
=
p
1
= m
1
v
1f
- m
1
v
1i

t
=
p
2
= m
2
v
2f
- m
2
v
2i

Where = the average force of m2 on m1 , and = the average force of m1 on m2 . By
Newton's third law F1(t) = - F2(t) which gives = - and so,
( + ) t = m
1
v
1f
- m
1
v
1i
+ m
2
v
2f
- m
2
v
2i
= 0

p
1f
+ p
2f
= p
1i
+ p
2i
.
(4)
This is the statement of the conservation of momentum.
Note:
The system must be isolated: the effect of all external forces acting
on m1 and m2 must be negligible.
The conservation of momentum holds for a collision involving any number of
objects:
= .
(5)
Momentum is a vector, and each component is conserved separately. The equation
for conservation of momentum really contains three equations, one for each
dimension.

What is the equation for conservation of momentum?
The equation is: In any closed system, Final total momentum = Initial total momentum
_________________________________________ For mathematical purposes: In
relation to collisions: Total momentum is conserved, assuming a closed system of forces. If
you have two bodies colliding, A and B, the change in the momentum of A will be equal to the
negative change in momentum of B. This is because of Newton's 3rd Law (action and reaction
forces equal and opposite). pA = -pB (where p is momentum) That in itself already
represents the concept of the conservation of momentum, but if you want to break it down
further: Substituting the equation p = mv into the above equation, mAvA - mAuA = - ( mBvB -
mBuB), or mAuA + mBuB = mAvA + mBvB (equation 1) where m is mass, u is initial velocity and v
is final velocity. This means that total initial momentum = total final momentum, which is the
law of conservation of momentum. If you're dealing with elastic collisions, you can simplify it
to this: uA - uB = vB - vA If you want to prove it, substitute equation 1 into Ek = (1/2)(mv2)
and call the resulting equation "equation 2". Then solve equation 1 and equation 2 to get the
simplified equation shown above. Please note this simplified equation is ONLY for elastic
collisions because it is only in ellastic collisions that kinetic energy is also conserved.