Worksheets
Worksheet Solutions – Collisions
Sections
Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
Car Collisions and Crash Tests
Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
This is what happens to aluminum when hit by a 1/2 oz (14g) piece of plastic going 15,000 mph (24,000 km/h). Was this an elastic collision, an inelastic collision, or a perfectly inelastic collision?
Newtons Cradle in Slow Motion | Make Science Fun (1:29)
Watch as the teacher demonstrates the classroom Newton’s cradle.
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- When the balls collide, is it an elastic collision, an inelastic collision, or a perfectly inelastic collision?
- In a ideal Newton’s cradle, would the collisions be elastic collisions, inelastic collisions, or a perfectly inelastic collisions?
Golf Ball into Steel Plate at 150 mph and 70,000 fps (0:29)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkB81u5IM3I
Kid vs. Rotating Arm
Car Collisions and Crash Tests
Two cars, both the same size and each traveling at 50 miles per hour (mph), crash into each other head-on. Is this the equivalent of running into a wall at 50 mph, or 100 mph? Use the concepts of impulse and momentum to justify your answer.
How much more kinetic energy does a car traveling at 100 mph have compared to the same car traveling at 50 mph?
Mythbusters – Scale Model of Car vs. Car and Car vs. Wall (7:41)
MythBusters – Car vs. Wall (9:54 – start at 7:06)
MythBusters – Car vs. Car (3:32)
As you watch the following video, how does the newer car help protect the passenger compared to the old car?
2009 Chevy Malibu vs 1959 Bel Air Crash Test | Consumer Reports (1:57)
Euro NCAP 20 years of crash testing – Honda Jazz vs Rover 100 Comparison (2:03)
School Bus Crash Test (0:30)
Safety Barriers
Bollards are used to protect against ramming by a car. They are used in government buildings, army bases, gas stations and many other places.
Safety Barrier – Bollard (2:22 – start at 0:50)
Safety Barrier – n-Shaped (2:09)
Safety Barrier – Wedge (1:24)
Big Sandy Impact Attenuator Sand Barrel – TrafFix Devices (5:56 – watch first 0:40 only)
CrashGard® Sand Barrel System (0:46 – watch 0:33 to 0:40)