Purpose
To gather evidence that can be used to support a claim that total system momentum is or is not conserved in an inelastic collision.
Background
If the system, the objects involved in a collision, of two objects doesn't experience a net external impulse, the momentum of the system will not change. If one object within the system loses momentum, it is gained by the other object within the system, and the combined momentum of both objects would be conserved.
Procedure
To gather evidence that can be used to support a claim that total system momentum is or is not conserved in an inelastic collision.
Background
If the system, the objects involved in a collision, of two objects doesn't experience a net external impulse, the momentum of the system will not change. If one object within the system loses momentum, it is gained by the other object within the system, and the combined momentum of both objects would be conserved.
Procedure
- Open the Collision Carts Interactive on the Physics Classroom website.
- Set the interactive as Inelastic Collisions.
- Run the simulation with the red car having a velocity of 5 m/s and a mass of 3 kg, and the blue car having a velocity of 0 m/s and a mass of 1 kg.
- Gather the data.
- Run the simulation with the red car having a velocity of 5 m/s and a mass of 1 kg, and the blue car having a velocity of 2 m/s and a mass of 2 kg.
- Gather the data.
Collision 2: Blue Cart Moving Slower than the Red Cart
Conclusion
In an inelastic collision, the momentum of the system is conserved. When the objects in a system collide, any momentum lost by one object would be gained by the other object in the system. In the first collision, when you add the combined masses together, 4 kg, and divide the combined momentum of the carts by the combined masses, you get the final momentum of 3.8 kg x m/s. All of the momentum from both carts is equally distributed between the two of them. In the second collision, when you add the combined masses together, 3 kg, and divide the combined momentum of the carts by the combined masses, you get the final momentum of 3 kg x m/s. All of the momentum from both carts is equally distributed between the two of them.
In an inelastic collision, the momentum of the system is conserved. When the objects in a system collide, any momentum lost by one object would be gained by the other object in the system. In the first collision, when you add the combined masses together, 4 kg, and divide the combined momentum of the carts by the combined masses, you get the final momentum of 3.8 kg x m/s. All of the momentum from both carts is equally distributed between the two of them. In the second collision, when you add the combined masses together, 3 kg, and divide the combined momentum of the carts by the combined masses, you get the final momentum of 3 kg x m/s. All of the momentum from both carts is equally distributed between the two of them.