Inelastic collisions are a type of collision where kinetic energy is not conserved, and objects stick together after impact. Despite the loss of kinetic energy, momentum is still conserved in these collisions. Let's consider an example to understand this concept.

Imagine two cars of masses m1 and m2 traveling towards each other with initial velocities v1 and v2, respectively. Upon collision, the two cars stick together and move with a final velocity vf. According to the conservation of momentum principle, the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.

Using the equation m1v1 + m2v2 = (m1 + m2)vf, we can calculate the final velocity of the combined system. It is important to note that in inelastic collisions, the final velocity is less than the initial velocities due to the loss of kinetic energy.

Now, let's consider an example of an inelastic collision in everyday life. When a ball is thrown at a wall and sticks to it, it is an example of an inelastic collision. The momentum of the ball before the collision is equal to the momentum of the ball and wall system after the collision, although some kinetic energy is lost as the ball comes to a stop.