Questions: What kind of collision, elastic or inelastic, occurs when a large fish swallows a small fish at rest?

Transcript text: What kind of collision, elastic or inelastic, occurs when a large fish swallows a small fish at rest?

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Understanding the Types of Collisions

Collisions can be classified into two main types: elastic and inelastic. In an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. In an inelastic collision, momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is not.

Step 2: Analyzing the Given Scenario

In the scenario where a large fish swallows a small fish at rest, the two fishes stick together after the collision. This indicates that the collision is perfectly inelastic because the objects stick together, which is a characteristic of inelastic collisions.

Step 3: Conservation of Momentum

In both elastic and inelastic collisions, momentum is conserved. Therefore, the statement "Inelastic, because the momentum is not conserved" is incorrect.

Step 4: Conservation of Kinetic Energy

In an inelastic collision, kinetic energy is not conserved. Since the fishes stick together, the collision is inelastic, and kinetic energy is not conserved.