collision

n.

1. The act or process of colliding; a crash or conflict.
2. Physics. A brief dynamic event consisting of the close approach of two or more particles, such as atoms, resulting in an abrupt change of momentum or exchange of energy.

[Middle English, from Late Latin collīsiō, collīsiōn-, from Latin collīsus, past participle of collīdere, to collide. See collide.]

collisional col·li'sion·al adj.
collisionally col·li'sion·al·ly adv.

SYNONYMS   collision, concussion, crash, impact, jar, jolt, shock. These nouns denote violent forcible contact between two or more things: the midair collision of two light planes; the concussion caused by an explosion; a crash involving two cars; the impact of a sledgehammer on pilings; felt repeated jars as the train ground to a halt; a series of jolts as the baby carriage rolled down the steps; experienced the physical shock of a sudden fall.

Any interaction between particles, aggregates of particles, or rigid bodies in which they come near enough to exert a mutual influence, generally with exchange of energy. The term collision, as used in physics, does not necessarily imply actual contact.

In classical mechanics, collision problems are concerned with the relation of the magnitudes and directions of the velocities of colliding bodies after collision to the velocity vectors of the bodies before collision. When the only forces on the colliding bodies are those exerted by the bodies themselves, the principle of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of the system is unchanged in the collision process. This result is particularly useful when the forces between the colliding bodies act only during the instant of collision. The velocities can then change only during the collision process, which takes place in a short time interval. Under these conditions the forces can be treated as impulsive forces, the effects of which can be expressed in terms of an experimental parameter known as the coefficient of restitution. See also Conservation of momentum; Impact.

The study of collisions of molecules, atoms, and nuclear particles is an important field of physics. Here the object is usually to obtain information about the forces acting between the particles. The velocities of the particles are measured before and after collision. Although quantum mechanics instead of classical mechanics should be used to describe the motion of the particles, many of the conclusions of classical collision theory are valid. See also Scattering experiments (atoms and molecules); Scattering experiments (nuclei).

Collisions can be classed as elastic and inelastic. In an elastic collision, mechanical energy is conserved; that is, the total kinetic energy of the system of particles after collision equals the total kinetic energy before collision. For inelastic collisions, however, the total kinetic energy after collision is different from the initial total kinetic energy.

In classical mechanics the total mechanical energy after an inelastic collision is ordinarily less than the initial total mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy which is lost is converted into heat. However, an inelastic collision in which the total energy after collision is greater than the initial total energy sometimes can occur in classical mechanics. For example, a collision can cause an explosion which converts chemical energy into mechanical energy. In molecular, atomic, and nuclear systems, which are governed by quantum mechanics, the energy levels of the particles can be changed during collisions. Thus these inelastic collisions can involve either a gain or a loss in mechanical energy.

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Physical contact of an automobile with another inanimate object resulting in damage to the insured car. Insurance coverage is available to provide protection against this occurrence. See also Personal Automobile Policy (PAP).

noun

Violent forcible contact between two or more things: bump, concussion, crash, impact, jar, jolt, percussion, shock, smash. See conflict/cooperation.

n

Definition: conflict
Antonyms: coalescence

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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The violent contact of one vehicle — such as an automobile, ship, or boat— with another vehicle.

Collision insurance is a type of policy that motorists purchase to cover property losses in the event of a car accident.

A collision that does not result from the negligence of either vessel involved is considered to be an inevitable accident. In the event of an inevitable accident, neither party is liable to the other, but each bears his or her own individual losses. Exclusion from fault is ordinarily determined with reference to the safeguards observed by the parties to the inevitable accident.

IN BRIEF: A crash; two things smashing into each other.

After the collision, the car needed major repairs.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - sammenstød, stød

idioms:

• collision course    kollisionskurs

Nederlands (Dutch)
botsing, aanvaring

Français (French)
n. - collision, affrontement

idioms:

• collision course    cap de collision, (Nucl) choc, collision (des particules), (fig) affrontement

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kollision, Zusammenstoß, Konflikt

idioms:

• collision course    Kollisionskurs

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σύγκρουση, τρακάρισμα

idioms:

• collision course    (ναυτ., μτφ.) πορεία σύγκρουσης

Italiano (Italian)
collisione

idioms:

• collision course    rotta di collisione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - colisão (f), oposição (f)

idioms:

• collision course    rota (f) de colisão

Русский (Russian)
столкновение

idioms:

• collision course    курс на конфронтацию

Español (Spanish)
n. - colisión, choque, conflicto

idioms:

• collision course    rumbo al enfrentamiento, rumbo de colisión

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kollision, sammanstötning (bildl.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
碰撞, 抵触, 冲突

idioms:

• collision course    航线碰撞, 碰撞航向

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 碰撞, 抵觸, 衝突

idioms:

• collision course    航線碰撞, 碰撞航向

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 충돌 , 대립, 알력

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 衝突, 不一致

idioms:

• collision course    衝突進路

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) تصادم, اصطدام, تعارض, تضارب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮התנגשות‬

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Collision Detection