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In commenting on the fact that kinetic energy is not conserved in a totally inelastic collision, a student observed that kinetic energy is not conserved in an explosion and that a totally inelastic collision is merely the reverse of an explosion. Is this a useful or valid observation?

In commenting on the fact that kinetic energy is not conserved in a totally inelastic collision, a student observed that kinetic energy is not conserved in an explosion and that a totally inelastic collision is merely the reverse of an explosion. Is this a useful or valid observation?

Grade:11

1 Answers

Aditi Chauhan
askIITians Faculty 396 Points
8 years ago
This is a useful observation.
In an inelastic collision, the total final kinetic energy is less than the total initial kinetic energy whereas in an explosive collision, the total final kinetic energy is greater than the total initial kinetic energy. The extra energy released in the total final kinetic energy can use for our useful purposes.
Energy-releasing collisions often occur in nuclear reactions when internal energy stored in the colliding nuclei is converted into kinetic energy. The resulting nuclei after the collision have less internal nuclear energy but greater total kinetic energy than the original nuclei. So this is an explosive collision. The released extra energy in this collision can use for our useful purposes. From the above observation we conclude that, it is a useful observation.

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