Coefficient of restitution

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In classical mechanics, the coefficient of restitution (COR, also denoted by e), is a measure of the springiness of collisions between two surfaces. Newton's law of restitution states that the relative speed of separation of two surfaces immediately after a collision is directly proportional to the relative speed of approach of the surfaces immediately before the collision, the constant of proportionality being called the coefficient of restitution, a dimensionless parameter that is a property of a pair of surfaces. In most real-world collisions, the coefficient of restitution is between 0 and 1, where 1 represents a perfectly elastic collision (in which the objects rebound with no loss of kinetic energy but in the opposite directions) and 0 a perfectly inelastic collision (in which the objects do not rebound at all, and end up coalescing). The basic equation, sometimes known as Newton's restitution equation, was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687. Coefficient...

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