Question

In the context of section 4.5, what happens to the momentum when a collision is inelastic and the mass increases?

1) The momentum decreases
2) The momentum increases
3) The momentum remains the same
4) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

In an inelastic collision where the mass increases, the momentum of the system remains the same due to the law of conservation of momentum, despite changes in kinetic energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of section 4.5, when a collision is inelastic and the mass increases, the momentum remains the same. This is because momentum is a conserved quantity in collisions, meaning that the total momentum of the system before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision according to the law of conservation of momentum.

However, in an inelastic collision, unlike in an elastic collision, the kinetic energy is not conserved. Some of the kinetic energy is converted into other forms of energy, such as heat or sound, but this energy transformation does not affect the conservation of momentum. Therefore, the momentum of the system does not change even though the collision is inelastic and the mass of the combined objects increases.