Why Real-world Collisions are Not Bouncy Balls

Introduction:

When objects collide, their energy is transferred and often transformed into other forms like heat and sound.

Main Explanation:

In an elastic collision, the total kinetic energy of the objects before the collision is equal to the total kinetic energy after. This happens in a perfectly elastic collision, where there is no loss of energy to other forms. Like a bouncing ball, when it hits the ground, it rebounds with the same amount of energy it had before impact. However, real-world macroscopic objects never behave this way.

Every time macroscopic objects collide, some of their energy is lost as heat, sound, and vibrations. The loss of energy is due to internal friction, deformation, and imperfections on the colliding surfaces. As a result, the objects lose kinetic energy. This loss of energy results in a decrease in the speed or motion of the objects, making the collision inelastic.

For example, when a car crashes into a wall, the cars deform and some of the kinetic energy is lost as heat, sound, and vibrations due to friction. This lost energy means the car will not bounce back with the same speed it had before the collision.

Conclusion:

In real life, collisions are inelastic because energy is always lost to heat, sound, and vibrations. As a result, macroscopic objects do not rebound with the same energy they had before impact, unlike perfectly elastic collisions often seen in idealized scenarios or with specific materials like bouncy balls.