What a learner can do afterwards
- Predict the outcome of a collision based on the speeds and sizes of the objects
- Explain that energy transfers from one object to another during a collision
- Describe observable changes: one object speeds up, the other slows down, sound is produced
The lesson
You already know a fast-moving thing has more energy than a slow one. When two things bump into each other, some of that energy moves from one object into the other. That is called a collision.
Mia rolls a fast toy car toward a car that is standing still. When they crash, the fast car slows down and the still car shoots forward. Some of the fast car's energy moved into the other car.
Watch closely during a collision. You will often hear a sound, since some energy turns into sound instead of staying as motion. The size and speed of each object change what happens next.
In a collision, energy moves from one object to another: one usually slows down while the other speeds up, and you might hear a sound.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Nothing builds on it yet.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.