A Reflection on the Concept of Elasticity and Collisions
What is the coefficient of restitution and how is it calculated in a collision scenario?
Based on the data given, a ball strikes a surface with a speed of 10 m/s and rebounds with a speed of 3 m/s. What is the coefficient of elasticity in this case?
Answer:
The coefficient of elasticity, also known as the coefficient of restitution, is a measure of the elasticity of a collision between two objects. It is defined as the ratio of the speed of separation after the collision to the speed of approach before the collision.
In the scenario provided, where the ball strikes a surface with a speed of 10 m/s and rebounds with a speed of 3 m/s, the coefficient of elasticity can be calculated using the formula:
coefficient of elasticity = speed after collision / speed before collision
When the ball strikes the surface with a speed of 10 m/s and rebounds with a speed of 3 m/s, we can plug these values into the formula:
coefficient of elasticity = 3 m/s / 10 m/s
coefficient of elasticity = 0.3
This means that in this specific collision scenario, the coefficient of elasticity is 0.3. This value indicates that only 30% of the kinetic energy is retained during the collision, while the remaining 70% is lost as heat, sound, or deformation of the objects involved.