Inelastic Collisions in 1-dimension

A completely inelastic collision is defined as one in which the two particles stick together after the collision.

Example Repeat the previous example for a completely inelastic collision.

Solution If the particles stick to each other after the collision then their final speeds are the same; let's call it V ,

And writing v_1i ≡ v we have from conservation of momentum

or

Let's look again at the special situations.

1) Equal masses (m₁ = m₂). This gives

2) Massive target (m₂ >> m₁). This gives

3) Massive projectile (m₁ >> m₂). This gives