Collisions on a Track

About this simulation

Collisions on a Track puts two carts on a one-dimensional frictionless track. Students set both masses, both velocities and the type of collision: elastic, partly elastic with a restitution of 0.5, or perfectly inelastic where the carts stick. Readouts show momentum and kinetic energy before and now, plus the velocities after impact. It makes the central idea clear: momentum is always conserved, while kinetic energy is conserved only in elastic collisions.

What students can explore

Run an Elastic collision and check that Momentum before and now match.
Switch to Perfectly inelastic and compare Kinetic energy before and now.
Make Mass 1 much larger than Mass 2 and read the velocities after.
Set both masses equal in an elastic collision and see what happens to the velocities.
Choose Partly elastic and estimate how much kinetic energy is lost.

Learning objectives

1State that momentum is conserved in all collisions.
2Distinguish elastic, partly elastic and perfectly inelastic collisions.
3Calculate final velocities from masses and initial velocities.
4Explain where lost kinetic energy goes in an inelastic collision.

Questions teachers ask

Is the Collisions simulation free?

Yes. It is free to use, needs no account and runs in any modern browser, including whiteboards and tablets.

What is the difference between elastic and inelastic?

In an elastic collision kinetic energy is conserved. In an inelastic collision some becomes heat and deformation, and when the carts stick together the loss is as large as it can be.

How do I use it?

Set the masses, velocities and collision type. Any slider restarts the run. Compare the before and now values in the Momentum and Kinetic energy readouts.

Is momentum ever lost?

Not on this frictionless track. Total momentum, the sum of mass times velocity, stays the same in every collision type, though it can move between the carts.

Embed this simulation

Drop it into your LMS, blog, or class site — free.

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