Free ACT Science Practice Tests
ACT Science Practice Test 5
This free ACT Science practice test includes charts and tables filled with scientific data for you to analyze. It’s designed to strengthen your ability to interpret information, recognize patterns, and draw accurate conclusions. Work carefully through these ACT Science practice questions, review each explanation, and keep building the skills you need for success.
Passage V
A collision between two objects can be classified as either elastic or inelastic. In an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. In an inelastic collision, momentum is conserved but some kinetic energy is converted to other forms of energy, such as heat or sound.
The momentum, p, of an object is the product of its mass, m, and velocity, v. The kinetic energy, KE, of an object depends on its mass and the square of its velocity. Table 1 shows the mass and initial velocity of four steel spheres (Spheres A–D) used in a series of collision experiments.
In each trial, one moving sphere was launched along a frictionless track toward an identical stationary sphere. After the collision, the velocities of both spheres were recorded. Figure 1 shows the final velocity of the initially moving sphere, v₁, as a function of the initial velocity, v₀, for collisions at two different temperatures (20°C and 80°C). At higher temperatures, the spheres deform more, causing greater energy loss during impact.
Figure 1
