PencilGo

Grade 11 · Science · Physics

11th grade Elastic and inelastic collisions worksheet

6 printable versionsChallenge Me10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

Version
Print

Elastic and inelastic collisions

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. A 3 kg cart hits a 1 kg cart at rest and they stick together. What percent of the kinetic energy is kept, Ari?

  2. A 4 kg cart hits a 1 kg cart at rest and they stick together. What percent of the kinetic energy is kept, Bo?

  3. Read this first

    Collision trials for two carts (example data)

    trialkinetic energy before (J)kinetic energy after (J)carts after
    P1212bounce apart
    Q128bounce apart
    R124stuck together

  4. In the trials table, about what percent of its kinetic energy did trial Q keep, Jun?

    • About 67%
    • About 8%
    • About 33%
    • 100%

  5. The carts in the trials table ran on a smooth, level track. Which trials conserved momentum, Kira?

    • Just P and Q
    • Just trial P
    • None of them
    • All three

  6. In the trials table, where did trial R's lost 8 J go, Luz?

    • It stayed as kinetic energy
    • Into extra momentum
    • Into heat, sound and bending
    • It was destroyed

  7. Milo says momentum is lost in an inelastic collision. Agree or disagree?

    • Disagree: momentum is conserved in both kinds
    • Agree: kinetic energy is kept instead
    • Agree: inelastic means momentum is lost
    • Agree: the lost energy is destroyed

  8. Pia says that in an inelastic collision the total energy is still conserved. Agree or disagree?

    • Disagree: kinetic energy is kept, so nothing changes
    • Disagree: momentum is lost too
    • Disagree: the lost energy is destroyed
    • Agree: the lost kinetic energy changes form

  9. A 1 kg cart at 4 m/s hits an identical cart at rest in an elastic collision. What happens, Ren?

    • Both stop
    • Both move at 2 m/s
    • The first bounces back at 4 m/s
    • The first stops; the second moves at 4 m/s

  10. The same carts stick together instead. What happens, Tala?

    • They move at 4 m/s and no energy is lost
    • They stop
    • They move at 2 m/s and 4 J is lost
    • They move at 2 m/s and no energy is lost

  11. Comparing the elastic and the sticking collisions of those carts, what is the same, Zee?

    • The kinetic energy after
    • Each cart's speed after
    • Nothing
    • The total momentum after
PencilGopencilgo.com

11th grade Elastic and inelastic collisions worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Elastic and inelastic collisions. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can find kinetic energy, KE = ½mv², and tell elastic collisions (KE kept) from inelastic ones (some KE lost) and perfectly inelastic ones (the carts stick). Momentum is conserved in all three.
  • I can find the kinetic energy lost when carts stick, and the fraction kept, m₁ ÷ (m₁ + m₂).
  • I can say where lost kinetic energy goes (thermal energy, sound, bending). Total energy is conserved.
  • I can classify trials and bounces from data. Equal carts in an elastic hit swap velocities; the same carts sticking share them.

Standard: HS-PS2-2

Words to know

elastic collision: Total kinetic energy is the same before and after

inelastic collision: Some kinetic energy turns into other forms

perfectly inelastic: The objects stick together; the most kinetic energy is lost

kinetic energy: Energy of motion: ½mv²

thermal energy: Energy stored as warmth in the objects

Common mistakes

Your child left out the ½ in KE = ½mv².

Your child gave the energy left after the collision. The question asks how much was lost: before minus after.

Your child used the wrong mass on top. For sticking carts, the fraction of kinetic energy kept is the moving cart's mass ÷ the total mass.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with elastic and inelastic collisions?

Your child left out the ½ in KE = ½mv².

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More physics

See all Physics

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records

Ready for easier practice?

Print a sheet, scan it when it’s done, and PencilGo picks the next one.

Create a free account