Body ABody BTransformed
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
PHYSICS IN ACTION / LABORATORY 05
Collision table.
Two bodies. One encounter. Discover what changes and what stays the same.
0,00 s
EXPLORE THE TIMELINE
0 sImpact · 1.28 s4,28 s
MOMENTUM p
0,00 kg·m/s
Conserved in the system
KINETIC ENERGY Ec
8,00 J
100 % of initial kinetic energy
TRANSFORMED ENERGY ΔE
0,00 J
Deformation, heat and sound
Behind the motion
Physics at a glance.
A starting point
FOUR WAYS TO DISCOVERYour lab notebook
| Body | Mass | Initial velocity | Final velocity | Initial → final momentum | Initial → final kinetic energy |
|---|
Final values are an analytical prediction of the impact.
The scientific model Assumptions, equations and limits +
A collision in one dimension
Two bodies move on an ideal horizontal track, with no friction or external horizontal forces. The impact is instantaneous and head-on. Rotation, air resistance and visible deformation are omitted. The balls translate; they do not model rolling spheres.
Centres start at −3 m and +3 m. Each body has a physical half-length of 0.45 m, regardless of mass. Balls and vehicles use exactly the same model.
What we calculate
Momentum: p = m₁v₁ + m₂v₂
Kinetic energy: Ec = ½m₁v₁² + ½m₂v₂²
Restitution: v₂ − v₁ = e(u₁ − u₂)
Transformed energy: ΔE = ½μ(1 − e²)(u₁ − u₂)² · μ = m₁m₂/(m₁ + m₂).
u is initial velocity and v is final velocity. If u₁ ≤ u₂, the bodies never catch up. Transformed energy does not disappear: it becomes internal energy, deformation and sound. Their individual shares are not calculated.
How to read the scene
+ means motion to the right, − to the left. The view adapts to keep both bodies visible. Velocity arrows use a separate scale and labels remain readable. Values are rounded only for display. Velocity arrows have a capped visual length: compare magnitudes using their numerical labels.
At e = 1 the impact is elastic. At 0 < e < 1 it is partially inelastic. At e = 0 the bodies stay together, conserving total momentum but generally not kinetic energy.