Introduction and Summary
In the last SparkNote
on the Conservation of Momentum we defined
impulse and
momentum, and derived
the conservation of momentum. In this SparkNote
we study the principle application of our
conservation law, collisions. Though this topic is not
theoretically important, the methods of calculation described will be essential for solving problems in
physics, and in everyday life.
We break up our study into two parts: one dimensional collisions and two
dimensional collisions. One dimensional collisions are simpler, and through this
section we will introduce properties of collisions, such as elasticity. From
this point we will develop equations that can be used to solve collision
problems, and give examples on how to solve them. We then extend our concept
into the two dimensional realm, introducing further equations and methods of
solution.
Collisions are sometimes unsolvable, and always quite complex. We pay a lot of
attention to the method of solving individual problems, as they can sometimes be
too complex to solve using only our theoretical principles. This topic should
be quite applicable to problem solving and practical situations.
