Subject: Off-topic physics question.
Author:
Posted on: 2013-04-11 20:35:00 UTC

So, I've been doing some tutoring, and I just covered momentum. I was thinking about it for a bit, and now I've got a question I can't figure out.

So, let's start with two objects. One is 1 kg, the other is 10 kg, and moving toward the first at 1 m/s. They collide in an elastic collision, and Conservation of Momentum says the 1 kg object is now moving at 10 m/s, and the 10 kg is still. However, the Kinetic Energy of the 10 kg when it was moving was 5 J, but the KE of the 1 kg is 50 J after the collision. Where does the 45 J of KE come from?

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