George Mason University Physics Linear Momentum in Collisions Lab Report

George Mason University Physics Linear Momentum in Collisions Lab Report

Goal: To investigate the Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum in collisions.

Simulation Used: Collision Lab from the PhET at the University of Colorado.

Preliminary Settings.

•             Open the simulation Collision Lab.

•             From the menu on the right, select: Show Values

•             In the yellow window below, click on "More Data"

 

Activity 1: Elastic Collisions in one dimension. Ball 2 is initially at rest.

•             On the menu to the right, slide the indicator all the way to the right for a perfectly elastic collision.

•             For the given masses and initial speeds of the two balls, determine the velocity and momentum after the collision.

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  V (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        1.20                                        

  2                0.50        0                                           

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                1.50        0.90                                        

  2               0.50         0                                              

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        1.40                                        

  2                1.50        0                                              

Question: Is the momentum conserved? 

Question: Is the kinetic energy conserved?  

 

Activity 2: Elastic Collisions in one dimension. Balls 1 and 2 initially moving in the same direction.

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        0.80                                        

  2                0.50        0.30                                        

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)     v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                1.50        1.20                                        

  2                0.50       0.50                                         

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        1.20                                        

  2                1.50        0.30                                        

Question: Is the momentum conserved?  

 Question: Is the kinetic energy conserved?   

 

Activity 3: Elastic Collisions in one dimension. Balls 1 and 2 initially moving in the opposite direction. Note that when Ball 2 moves opposite to Ball 1, its velocity and momentum are negative.

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        1.20                                        

  2                0.50       - 0.30                                      

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                1.50        1.20                                        

  2                0.50        -0.70                                      

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        1.20                                        

  2                1.50        -1.20                                      

Question: Is the momentum conserved?

Question: Is the kinetic energy conserved? 

 

Activity 4: Inelastic Collisions. On the menu to the left, slide the indicator all the way to the left to ensure perfectly inelastic collision.

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        1.20                                        

  2                0.50        0                                              

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                1.50        1.20                                        

  2                0.50        -0.20                                      

 

  Ball         Mass (kg)          Before the Collision

                After the Collision

 

                                  v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s)    v (m/s)                 Momentum (kg.m/s) 

  1                0.50        1.20                                        

  2                1.50       -1.80                                       

 

Question: Is the momentum conserved?

Question: Is the kinetic energy conserved?

Acknowledgements. Tatiana Stantcheva, Northern Virginia community College. The Java Applet comes from the PhET Interactive Simulations at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Some activities are based on the "Laboratory Manual, Physics 231 - 232" by Walter Wimbush, Northern Virginia Community College, 2008.