Question

A piece of taffy slams into and sticks to another identical piece of taffy that is at rest. The momentum of the two pieces stuck together after the collision is the same as it was before the collision, but this is not true of the kinetic energy, which is partly turned into heat. What percentage of the kinetic energy is turned into heat? A) 25% B) 0% C) 75% D) 50% E) need more information

Answer 1

This question relates to an inelastic collision, where momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not fully conserved as some is turned into heat. Without specific mass and velocity values, we cannot precisely calculate the percentage of kinetic energy converted to heat, so the answer is 'Need more information'.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of the question pertains to the principle of conservation of energy. This question describes an inelastic collision, where two objects collide and stick together. It specifically mentions that some of the initial kinetic energy is transformed into heat. Although the question does not give specific energy values, we can say that in a perfectly inelastic collision, the kinetic energy is not conserved but the momentum is conserved. Therefore, the answer cannot be 0% as kinetic energy is not fully conserved in inelastic collisions. To accurately determine the percentage of kinetic energy turned into heat, we would need more information, such as masses and initial velocities. Hence, the most correct answer from the given options would be E) Need more information.

Learn more about Inelastic collision