Definition:Collision

Definition

A collision is a momentary point contact between two bodies and the resulting interaction.

Elastic Collision

An elastic collision is a collision in which the total kinetic energy of the interacting bodies is the same after the collision as it was before.

Inelastic Collision

An inelastic collision is a collision in which the total kinetic energy of the interacting bodies is not the same after the collision as it was before.

Particle Physics

In the context of particle physics, the term has a more general meaning:

In the context of particle physics, a collision is a deflection of the paths of two particles as a result of long-range interaction rather than direct contact.

Examples

Snooker Balls

Two snooker balls impacting each other during a game of snooker is an example of a collision as defined here.

Also see

• Results about collisions can be found here.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): collision
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): collision