Collisions in Bowling
Is the collision between a bowling ball and pins elastic or inelastic?
A perfectly elastic collision is defined as one in which there is no loss of kinetic energy in the collision. An inelastic collision is one in which part of the kinetic energy is changed to some other form of energy in the collision. After collisions between bowling balls and the pins you see the pins scatter and bounce when struck by the ball, transferring some of the kinetic energy from the bowling ball to the pins. Therefore the collision is somewhat elastic. However, both the pins and get damaged over time, and come to rest after the collision, so the answer is that the collision is somewhat elastic.
... more about Physics and Bowling
