Question
What is the coefficient of restitution and what is its value for different types of collisions?
Solution
The coefficient of restitution is defined as the ratio of the relative velocity of separation to the relative velocity of approach.
If u1 and u2 be the velocities before collision, and v1 and v2 be the velocities after collision, then
When,
e = 1, for perfectly elastic collision,
0 < e < 1, for inelastic collision
e = 0, for perfectly inelastic collision
