A piece of taffy slams into and sticks to another identical piece of taffy that is at rest. The momentum of the two pieces stuck together after the collision is the same as it was before the collision, but this is not true of the kinetic energy, which is partly turned into heat. What percentage of the kinetic energy is turned into heat?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a perfectly inelastic collision, where two objects stick together, the kinetic energy is not conserved. For two identical masses, 50% of the initial kinetic energy is converted into heat or other forms of energy.

A Piece of Taffy Slams into and Sticks to Another