A railroad car collides with a similar car at rest. The cars lock together. Such a process must convert a significant fraction of the originally moving car's kinetic energy to thermal energy

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

During the collision, the kinetic energy of the moving car is not conserved due to the inelastic nature of the collision where the cars lock together. Instead, a significant fraction of this energy is converted into other forms, including thermal energy, sound, and deformation of the cars.

A Railroad Car Collides with a Similar Car at Rest