elastic collision
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noun Mechanics.
a collision in which the total kinetic energy of the colliding bodies or particles is the same after the collision as it was before (opposed to inelastic collision).
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Origin of elastic collision
First recorded in 1925–30
Words nearby elastic collision
elasticate, elastic band, elastic bandage, elastic cartilage, elastic clause, elastic collision, elastic deformation, elastic fiber, elasticin, elasticity, elasticize
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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Scientific definitions for elastic collision
elastic collision
[ ĭ-lăs′tĭk ]
Physics
A collision between bodies in which the total kinetic energy of the bodies is conserved. In a perfectly elastic collision, no energy is dissipated as heat energy internal to the bodies, and none is spent on permanently deforming the bodies or radiated away in some other fashion. Elastic collisions, such as the collision of a rubber ball on a hard surface, result in the reflection or bouncing of bodies away from each other. Comapre inelastic collision.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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