Describe Collision

Types of Collision

Collision, meaning takkar in Hindi, has two major types, namely elastic and inelastic.

• ELASTIC COLLISION:  In the elastic form of collision, there is no loss of kinetic energy in any form whatsoever. This implies that neither the kinetic energy nor the momentum diminishes.
• INELASTIC COLLISION:  In this form of collision, there is no complete conservation of kinetic energy, implying that some amount of energy has been lost.

Put inelastic collision is:

Kinetic energy before collision = Kinetic energy following the impact of the collision + the energy that was lost into other forms. Collision means an equation with momentum and energy.

There, however, is a third type or rather a subset of the inelastic collision itself called Completely inelastic collision. Completely inelastic collision means the maximum possible energy is lost. In this form of collisions, objects stick together post a collision, and since energy is transferred to some other type of energy, it makes it much easier to calculate.

Explosions

An explosion is nothing but the aftermath of a collision meaning takkar. There is a genuine possibility that after this collision, the energy increases and transforms into some other, a more significant form of energy. The most common occurrence is the convergence of chemical energy into kinetic energy. When equated, it can be easily understood:

The chemical energy involved or released in the collision + the Kinetic energy before the collision = Kinetic energy after the collision.

Conservation of Energy

Since there is heavy use of energy or rather a collision means energy transfer it only makes sense that we try and get a clear understanding of what it means.

Energy theoretically is the capacity of an object to do work. This system of energy, if isolated, is conserved. In the absence of friction or in an ideal scenario (not possible, the input cannot equal output)  the total energy (E) present or contained in a system is the sum of potential energy (U) and Kinetic energy (K).

 E = K + U

Energy Lost due to Friction

The change in stored kinetic or potential energy comes from the object’s action of work. For instance, an object that is sliding down an inclined surface, say a hill, is being worked on by gravity and this means that potential energy changes into kinetic energy. Now because the motion or direction of the moving object is perpendicular to the direction of gravity, the result is friction. Now, this friction is in the form of heat. (can also be in the form of sound and light). The work done by friction will always equal the Potential energy transferred to heat. In an equation:

E=K+U+Q = is always constant.

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion is the energy released or obtained when two nuclei combine or collide with each other. Since there is a strong dependence on the internuclear force for the amount of energy released, there often is a need to instill or give more energy to the atoms to have the impact or collide with greater intensity with other highly charged particles.

Nuclear Power Applicability

Nuclear fusion has been an ideal source of energy production for many years. Some have gone ahead and deemed it the energy of the future. Compared to fission, fusion is a cleaner and can produce energy up to nearly four times more. Fusion requiring common naturally occurring substances gives it an upper hand compared to fission. However, the biggest difference lies in that Fusion reactions can be controlled better. Fusion requires two key elements. Deuterium and tritium, which are isotopes of hydrogen, are needed. On obtaining them, they are placed in an empty vessel and heated to extremely high temperatures to match the conditions of the sun’s core. This heavily accelerates particles and thereby the collisions producing large amounts of energy powering cores and other reactors.

 Conclusion

The use of a small concept such as collision, when well understood, led to the discovery of Nuclear fusion, which could literally be the savior of humanity in the context of the energy crisis. However, seeing how war is still happening today, dismissing the possibility of nuclear fusion for the same is not ideal. The fact that the fusion reaction is significantly easier to use and control makes it suitable for weaponry use, and if so, one can only imagine how much greater the destruction can be in comparison to the bombs dropped in World War 2.