Answer seriously pls. If two balls knock against each other then y don't they go on forever?

Question

What I mean to say is, if 2 ,e.g., balls are attached to the end of a string which is,e.g. around one's finger or around a pole etc. and they are released to knock against each other then why don't they continue knocking each other forever? Where does the force which allowed therm to knock each other disappear to?

Answer 1

Hi there. Well the reason why they don't go on knocking each other forever is because of energy losses occuring through friction. For instance, the friction between the string and the pole (or your finger) takes away a part of the kinetic energy of the system with every movement. The 'sound' that you hear when the balls strike each other is actually energy that was originally in the form of kinetic energy ('energy of movement'). Kinetic energy is also lost as heat between the colliding bodies and also due to air resistance from the surrounding atmosphere. In the end, the kinetic enregy of the system will be reduced to zero and the two balls will eventually come to rest.

It is important to note that energy itself did not disappear. It was simply transformed from one form (kinetic) to another (sound, heat,....). Hope this helps.

Answer 2

This has nothing to do with force and everything to do with energy.

As the first ball falls, it converts gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy. It then contacts the other ball and transfers its kinetic energy to the other ball, which rises to the point that all it's kinetic energy has been converted to gravitational potential energy. This causes it to stop, and fall back down again, starting the process over. The reason this doesn't continue on indefinitely lies with the laws of thermodynamics.

There are two laws that need to be considered:

1) Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.

2) In any energy conversion there will be energy lost to environmental factors.

This is important. When the balls transfer their energy to each other, they create friction with each other and cause sound through the air. Also, when they move through the air converting gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy (or vice versa), they lose energy to the friction caused by air, or by the string attached to the pole. This is why they won't continue on forever; because there will be energy lost each time. The only way to prevent this would be to create perfect environmental conditions. These would include placing the apparatus in a perfect vacuum, where each object were perfectly frictionless, and where each ball were made of a material that caused an elastic collision every time (conservation of energy). These conditions are impossible to reproduce (even outer space isn't a perfect vacuum). Such conditions would require infinite amounts of energy or infinite amount of time to create, and that's just not feasible.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I assume you're talking about something like Newton's Cradle?

The kinetic energy of the balls that allows them to move back and force is gradually dispersed into the air - as the balls move, they experience frictional forces from the air particles until all of the kinetic energy causing the balls to move is thus dispersed.

Answer 4

It would not artwork continually (except this is electric powered and plugged in). it may take a lengthy time period, even with the undeniable fact that it is going to finally end because each outcome loses power interior this way of sound, friction, warmth etc. there is not any such element as a perpetual action gadget.

Answer 5

There is friction between the air molecules and the balls. Also, gravity will want to pull them both to the ground.

Having a tough time visulaizing the scenario to be sure....

Answer 6

Energy is released as Sound (the clicking noise), and probably into the string etc

Answer 7

friction
the air around the balls causes friction which causes the balls to slow down

Answer 8

They lose inertia everytime they transfer energy from one ball to the other and back again. That is why they don't go on forever...

Answer 9

momentum is conserved in a perfectly elastic collsion. but the energy is released in form of sound, heat and also to battle the friction dat is y they dnt keephitting eachother.

Answer 10

the force is dispersed through sound waves and can be detected with your ears, and you are correct that it does in fact disappear, as we cannot observe sound waves with our vision, therefor it is invisible to us by eyesight, although the gravitational force which pulls the balls down is also invisible to our vision but is just as real as sound, as they are both in fact energy.