Re: COLLISION

[Bob Sciamanda <trebor@VELOCITY.NET>]

Hi David,

May I refer you to a recent article of mine on this type of "mandated
energy dissipation" in both electromagnetic and mechanical phenomena:

Am. J. Phys. Vol. 64, No. 10, Oct 1996, Pages 1291-1295
"Mandated energy dissipation--e pluribus unum"

Bob

Bob Sciamanda (W3NLV)
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (em)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor

----- Original Message -----
From: David Abineri <dabineri@CHOICE.NET>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Friday, November 26, 1999 9:37 AM
Subject: COLLISION


> When a moving railroad car collides with a stationary car of equal mass
> elastically, the one car stops and the other begins moving with the same
> velocity as the first.
>
> If they now collide inelastic ally by coupling together, half of the
> kinetic energy of the system is lost.
>
> Now, my concern is, where has the kinetic energy 'gone'? Certainly air
> was moved, sound was created and deformations took place but surely all
> this happened in the elastic collision too.
>
> Why should there be such a significant difference in the accounting of
> energy between these two systems?
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> --
>         David Abineri     dabineri@choice.net