Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain that momentum is conserved in elastic and inelastic collisions alike, and that kinetic energy decides the type. (Guide: “Two checks for every collision”; Practice Q1)
- I can explain why each object’s kinetic energy may change in an elastic collision while the total stays the same. (Guide: “Elastic collisions”; Practice Q1)
- I can describe what happens to kinetic energy during the contact of an elastic collision. (Guide: “Elastic collisions”; Practice Q3)
- I can name the nonconservative processes that transform kinetic energy in an inelastic collision, and where the energy goes. (Guide: “Inelastic and perfectly inelastic collisions”; Practice Q5(d))
Calculation
- I can find the common velocity and the kinetic energy transformed in a perfectly inelastic collision. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q2)
- I can do the same for a perfectly inelastic collision in two dimensions, using components. (Guide: Worked example 2)
- I can solve a one-dimensional elastic collision using momentum and the reversal of relative velocity, and check with kinetic energy. (Guide: “Solving a one-dimensional elastic collision”; Practice Q4)
- I can derive the final velocities for an elastic collision with a target at rest, and predict how they change with the mass ratio. (Practice Q6)
Reasoning and skills
- I can classify collisions from measured velocities, using the kinetic energy fraction and the measurement uncertainty as evidence. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q5)
- I can draw and read a chart comparing kinetic energy before and after different outcomes of the same collision. (Guide: Figure 1)
- I can explain why sticking together loses the most kinetic energy and why it does not always lose all of it. (Guide: “Why sticking loses the most”; Practice Q5(e), Q7)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 5.1, Rotational Kinematics, or return to the course roadmap.