How To Calculate Change In Kinetic Energy After A Collision. V2 =1.2 / 0.20 = 6 m/s. An elastic collision is one in which the total kinetic energy of the two colliding objects is the same before and after the collision.
1.2 kg × m/s = 0.20 kg × v2. To determine whether the collision is elastic or inelastic, calculate the total kinetic energy of the system both before and after the collision. Since momentum is conserved, this object has momentum equal to the total intitial momentum p ⃗ = ( m 1 + m 2 ) v ⃗ f \vec{p} = (m_{1} + m_{2}) \vec{v}_{f} p = ( m 1 + m 2 ) v f.
