The objective of this lab is to confirm that momentum is conserved in an ideal collision.
In order to set about doing this, we set up a nearly frictionless surface (a glass table) and staged a series of collisions between two spheres of the same size but made of various materials. We did two trails, the first with two steel balls of the same size and mass, and the second with one aluminum and one steel ball, of the same size but with different masses.
To collect useful data from the collisions, we set up a camera directly above the table with a very high shutter speed. We ran the experiments and then used logger pro to track the path of each ball before and after the collision, plotting the position of each with respect to time as shown below.
Because it was difficult to make the spheres collide perfectly head on, the spheres veered off of the path that the originally moving ball after the collision. As such, we had to calculate the values of the x and y components of velocity of each ball before and after the collision. To do this, we applied a linear fit to the path of each ball before and after the collision. As shown below.
Using this graph we were able to determine the x and y components of velocity. And from this, the x and y components of momentum from the equation
P=mv
We expect that, when we add the values of the x component of momentum of each ball, and they y component of each ball, we will get 2 constant values. After calculating these, we obtained this numerical result.
As we can see, there are some fluctuations from a constant, but it is close enough to demonstrate the conservation of momentum.
We repeated the process with the second trail, with one aluminum and one steel ball. The graph and chart are shown below
Once again, there are some small fluctuations, but the values are still relatively consistent.
In conclusion, we have data that supports the idea that momentum is conserved in a collision regardless of the mass of each object.
In order to set about doing this, we set up a nearly frictionless surface (a glass table) and staged a series of collisions between two spheres of the same size but made of various materials. We did two trails, the first with two steel balls of the same size and mass, and the second with one aluminum and one steel ball, of the same size but with different masses.
To collect useful data from the collisions, we set up a camera directly above the table with a very high shutter speed. We ran the experiments and then used logger pro to track the path of each ball before and after the collision, plotting the position of each with respect to time as shown below.
Because it was difficult to make the spheres collide perfectly head on, the spheres veered off of the path that the originally moving ball after the collision. As such, we had to calculate the values of the x and y components of velocity of each ball before and after the collision. To do this, we applied a linear fit to the path of each ball before and after the collision. As shown below.
 |
| First trial |
P=mv
We expect that, when we add the values of the x component of momentum of each ball, and they y component of each ball, we will get 2 constant values. After calculating these, we obtained this numerical result.
As we can see, there are some fluctuations from a constant, but it is close enough to demonstrate the conservation of momentum.
We repeated the process with the second trail, with one aluminum and one steel ball. The graph and chart are shown below
In conclusion, we have data that supports the idea that momentum is conserved in a collision regardless of the mass of each object.
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