Conservation of Momentum and Energy

Animation 1 Animation 2 Animation 3 Animation 4

Identical balls (same mass) undergo an elastic collision as depicted in the above animation (position is in meters and time is in seconds). The surface between the balls and the table is frictionless. The collision does not change the internal energy.  Determine which one(s) of the animations describes a physical situation.


Answer

Animations 1 and 4 conserve both momentum and energy.