Question

Which has the greater change in momentum, a 50 gram clay ball that strikes a wall at 1 m/s and sticks or a 50 gram superball that strikes the wall at 1 m/s and bounces away at 0.8 m/s. Explain?

Answer 1

Answer: 50 gram superball that strikes the wall at 1 m/s and bounces away at 0.8 m/s has greater change in kinetic energy.

Explanation:

50 gram superball that strikes the wall at 1 m/s and bounces away at 0.8 m/s has the greater change in kinetic energy because the collision is elastic in nature that is bodies separates after collision and doesn't lose any kinetic energy.

Also for an elastic collision, both the momentum and energy of the bodies are conserved compare to inelastic collision where only momentum is conserved but not the kinetic energy(this is attributed to bodies that sticks together after collision).