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What makes a collision between two objects an elastic collision, according to the source?
AIt always results in the two objects sticking together
BIt conserves the total mass of the system
CIt conserves the internal kinetic energy of the system
DIt only conserves momentum, never energy
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. It conserves the internal kinetic energy of the system
1. This is the defining property of an elastic collision.
2. An elastic collision is one that conserves internal kinetic energy.
3. Momentum is conserved in every collision discussed here, elastic or not, so that alone does not define elastic collisions specifically.
4. Sticking together is instead the defining feature of a perfectly inelastic collision, the opposite extreme from an elastic one.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 8 "Linear Momentum and Collisions", section 8.4 Elastic Collisions in One Dimension_
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