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Right. Sloppy writing on my part. I have gotten into the habit in class of referring to "sticky" and "bouncy" collisions instead of inelastic or elastic, since we do this in one dimension only. Of course, an inelastic collision that doesn't involve some auxiliary sticking, and isn't one dimensional will involve a separation of the objects after the collision. I think, however, that the problem under discussion *did* involve the object sticking to each other, did they not?
I think there has been some confusion in this thread engendered by conflating "inelastic collision" with "sticking." No "intermingling" is required for an inelastic collision, but it may be for "sticking." Except in the most special of cases--e.g., head-on collisions between nonrotating objects--colliding objects WILL move away from each other after a totally inelastic collision unless they ALSO "stick."