We apply momentum conservation to analyze interactions called collisions. Collisions may conserve kinetic energy (elastic) or lose it to thermal/internal energy (inelastic). For one-object systems, mo...We apply momentum conservation to analyze interactions called collisions. Collisions may conserve kinetic energy (elastic) or lose it to thermal/internal energy (inelastic). For one-object systems, momentum changes if external forces act, as seen with a cart rebounding off a wall. For multi-object systems, momentum conservation applies to both elastic and inelastic collisions, with momentum charts and diagrams aiding in analysis.
