In an ideal inelastic collision (objects stick together) between two
equal masses with one stationary initially, one half of the KE is lost
(transferred to another form). Why is it that this amount of lost KE
does not depend on the materials of which the objects are made? It would
seem that one should get different results if they were made of steel vs
foam rubber for example.
Is this simply because this is an ideal situation or is there more to it
than this?
Thanks for any insights, David Abineri
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David Abineri
dabineri@choice.net
This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.