Which of the following quantities is not conserved in elastic collisions ? Velocity Mass Kinetic energy Linear momentum
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
In an elastic collision, kinetic energy is the quantity that is conserved, along with linear momentum, but velocity is not conserved.
Explanation:
- Velocity is not necessarily conserved in an elastic collision because the individual velocities of the colliding objects can change. The objects may rebound off each other with different velocities depending on factors such as their masses and initial velocities. The conservation of velocity would imply that objects do not change their motion in any way after the collision, but that is not true in elastic collisions.
- Mass is a fundamental property of matter and does not change during a collision. This means that mass is always conserved in both elastic and inelastic collisions.
- Kinetic energy is conserved in elastic collisions. This means that the total kinetic energy before and after the collision remains the same. This occurs because there is no energy lost to deformation, heat, or sound during an elastic collision. Mathematically, the total kinetic energy is the sum of the kinetic energies of each object, and it remains unchanged after the collision.
- Linear momentum is also conserved in elastic collisions. This principle, derived from Newton’s laws, states that the total linear momentum of a system remains constant if no external forces act on it. In an elastic collision, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.
In summary, while velocity changes during an elastic collision, mass, kinetic energy, and linear momentum are conserved.
