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Law of conservation of Momentum

Suchanuch Putaprapasri
Prawfah Roruangkul
Varun Saketharam

AP Physics 1102
Ms.Susan Alulod
Mahidol University International Demonstration School
Semester 1 School year 2016-17

Objective
The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate the law of conservation of
momentum. This lab will show how momentum of objects are transfered to
another object, conserved within a system of two objects. If the momentum is
not entirely conserved, then to show and be able to identify the causes of the
loss of momentum from the system.

Background information
Before understanding the law of conservation of momentum, it is
important to know the definition of the word Momentum. Momentum is defined
as the quantity of a moving object, measured as a product of its mass and
velocity. Momentum can also be related to another quantity known as impulse
which is defined as the product of force acting times the time over which the
force is acting. However, it can also be defined as the change in momentum of
an object.
The Law of conservation of momentum states that for a collision
occuring between two objects in an isolated system, the total momentum before
the collision is equal to the momentum after their collision. In other words, the
momentum lost by the first object is gained by the other colliding object. There
are two types of collision namely, elastic and inelastic collision. Elastic collsion
is the type of collision in which the kinetic energy of both colliding objects are
conserved within the system, and both objects usually bounces from one another
after collision. However, inelastic collision is the type of collision in which the
kinetic energy of both moving objects are lost from the system of two objects.
However, conservation of momentum, in our daily life, can barely be seen
because there are constantly external forces acting on the system we are
observing, causing the object to lose momentum. Some examples of external
forces that are easily observable are friciton, air resistance, and even gravity if
the system of objects are in mid air.

Materials used:
1. Vernier carts

2. Low friction Vernier track

3. Weighing machine
4. stop watch

Lab Procedure:
Elastic collision
1. Prepare a long low friction Vernier track on a table.
2. Measure and take notes of the mass of the two Vernier carts that
will be placed on the track, using the weighing machine.

3. Place two Vernier carts on two almost the opposite ends of the
Vernier track, any distance but more than 20 cm apart from one another.
4. Check for the correct carts orientation, both cart shoud have the
magnet of like poles (identical poles) facing each other.

5. Allow one cart to stay at rest on the Verinier track. Give a push to
one of the cart. Record the time taken for the cart to cover 20 cm after
being given a push until it collides with another cart using a stopwatch
6. Use another stopwatch to record the time taken for the second cart
to travel 20cm after being collided with the first cart.

7. Calculate the velocity using the formula velocity = distance/time


for both cart
8. Plug in the data collected into a formula (select the formula that is
suitable for the case). In this case, the collision is elastic, meaning the cart
does not stick together after collision. Therefore, the formula M1V1+M2V2
= M1V1f+M2V2f is used to calculate the momentum before and after the
collision.

9. Use the formula 2(momentum before-momentum after)/


(momentum before+momentum after) *100 to find the % difference.
10. Repeat the experiment again if the calculated percentage
difference exceeds 10%.

Inelastic collision

1. Prepare a 1 meter long low friction vernier track on a table.

2. Measure and take notes on each of the two carts masses.


3. Place two Vernier carts on two almost the opposite ends of the
Vernier track, any distance but more than 20 cm apart from one another.

4. Check for the carts orientation, both cart should have sticky
material facing each other.
5. Allow one cart to stay at rest on the Vernier track. Give a push to
one of the cart. Record the time taken for the cart to cover 20 cm after
being given a push until it collides with another cart using a stopwatch.

6. Use another stopwatch to record the time taken for both cart
sticking togethert to travel 20cm after colliding with each other.
7. Calculate the velocity using the formula velocity = distance/time
for both cart

8. Plug in the data collected into a formula (select the formula that is
suitable for the case). In this case, the collision is inelastic, meaning the
cart does stick together after collision. Therefore, the formula
M1V1+M2V2 = V(M1+M2) is used to calculate the momentum before and
after the collision.
9. Use the formula 2(momentum before-momentum after)/
(momentum before+momentum after) *100 to find the % difference.

10.Repeat the experiment again if the calculated percentage difference


exceeds 10%.

Picture
Inelastic collision
1.
2.

3.

4.
5.

Elastic collision
1.
2.

3.

4.
5.

Results
Elastic collision
Total number of attempts: 4

Attempts 1 2 3 4

Mass1 510 g 510 g 510 g 510 g


Mass2 516g 516g 516g 516g

Time recorded 0.40s 0.67s 0.73s 0.72


#mass1
#20cm

Time recorded 0.66s 0.58s 0.87s 0.78s


#mass2
#20cm

Initial velocity 50 cm/s 29.8cm/s 27.4cm/s 27.7cm/s


#mass1

Initial velocity 0 cm/s 0cm/s 0cm/s 0cm/s


#mass2

Final velocity 0 cm/s 0cm/s 0cm/s 0cm/s


#mass1

Final velocity 30.3cm/s 34.5cm/s 23cm/s 25.64cm/s


#mass2

Distance 20cm 20cm 20cm 20cm


travelled
#both masses

Momentum 25500g cm/s 15198g cm/s 13974g cm/s 14127.84g cm/s


before
collision

Momentum 15634.8g cm/s 17802g cm/s 11868g cm/s 13230.24g cm/s


after
collision

%difference of 47.96% 15.78% 16.29% 6.84%


momentum

Note: The red highlighted values in the table indicates the final data obtained
Equations used for calculating quantities:
1. Finding velocities
Formula:
velocity= displacement/time ( V =S /T )
2. Finding momentum
Formula:
momentum = mass x velocity ( p=mv
3. Finding the % difference
Formula:
Momentum before collision+ Momentum after collision
%difference= 2( Momentumbefore collisionMomentum after collision)

[ ]
*100

Inelastic collision

Total number of attempts: 2

Attempts 1 2
Mass1 516g 516 g

Mass2 510g 510g

Time recorded 0.22s 0.56s


#mass1
#20cm

Time recorded 0.56s 1.22s


#mass2#mass1
#stuck together
#20cm

Initial velocity 90.9s 35.7cm/s


#mass1

Initial velocity 0cm/s 0cm/s


#mass2

Final velocity 35.7cm/s 16.4cm/s


#mass1#mass2
#Stuck together

Distance travelled 20cm 20cm


#both masses

Momentum 46904.4g cm/s 18421.2g cm/s


before
collision

Momentum after 36628.2g cm/s


collision 16826g cm/s
%difference of 40.6% 9.05%
momentum

Note: The red highlighted values in the table indicates the final data obtained

Equations used for calculating quantities:


1. Finding velocities
Formula:
velocity= displacement/time ( V =S /T )
2. Finding momentum
Formula:
momentum = mass x velocity ( p=mv
3. Finding the % difference
Formula:
Momentum before collision+ Momentum after collision
%difference= 2( Momentumbefore collisionMomentum after collision)

[ ]
*100

Calculations
Elastic collision:
To calculate the initial momentum:
Momentumbefore collision = Mass1 x Velocity1
= 510 (20 / 0.72)
= 510 (27.78)
= 14167.8 kg m/s
To calculate the final momentum:

Momentumafter collision = Mass1 x Velocity1 + Mass2 x Velocity2


= 510 (0) + 516 (20/0.78)
= 510 (25.64)
= 13230.24 kg m/s
To calculate the percentage difference
Momentum before collision+ Momentum after collision
Percent difference = 2( Momentumbefore collisionMomentum after collision)

[ ]
*100

14167.8+13230.24
= 2( 14167.813230.24) *100

[ ]

= (1875.12 / 27398.04) * 100


= 0.0684 x 100
= 6.84 %
Inelastic collision:
To calculate the initial momentum:
MomentumBefore collision = Mass1 x Velocity1
= 516 (20 / 0.56)
= 516 (35.71)
= 18426.36 kg m/s
To calculate the final momentum:
MomentumAfter collision = ( Mass1 + Mass2 ) x Velocityf
= (516 + 510) (20 / 1.22)
= 1026 (16.39)
= 16816.14 kg m/s
To calculate the percentage difference:
Momentum before collision+ Momentum after collision
Percentage difference = 2( Momentumbefore collisionMomentum after collision)

[ ]
*100
18428.57+16816.14
= 2( 18428.5716816.14) *100

[ ]
= (3224.86 / 35244.71) * 100
= 9.15 %
Analysis of Results and Conclusion
In this lab report, since the intial obtained values of the experiment were
unfavorable, the % difference of the momentum exceeded 10%. Therefore, only
the final data in the last column of the table were selected and used for
calculations.
According to the momentum elastic collision experiment, the results
came out that momentum is not conserved. The distance that each vernier cart
travelled is 20 cm, and time taken is different in each time, so the percent
difference came out differently. Therefore, we choose the last time we did the
experiment which there was 0.72 and 0.78 seconds taken for mass 1 and mass2 to
travel respectively. As time taken is not the same, initial momentum and final
momentum is not equal meaning that momentum is not conserved, and percent
difference is 6.84% which is the smallest percentage difference among all cases
we did for elastic collision.

As a result from the experiment on momentum for the case of inelastic


collision, the momentum before and after collision of the two vernier carts is not
conserved as time taken for the carts to travelled are 0.56 and 1.22 seconds for
initial and final momentum respectively. We can recognise that final time taken
is not exactly twice the initial one. Thus, momentum is not conserved. As we
have done the experiment twice, we chose to calculate the percent difference
that the data was closest to what they suppose to be. Therefore, the percent
differences turned out to be 9.15% .

In conclusion, momentum is not conserved in reality because of the


factors including frictions, air resistance, normal force, and gravitational force
acting against movement of the vernier carts. Other than those forces, human
errors also affect the results of the experiment as the timing maybe inaccurate,
and the force pushing the vernier cart was not equal in each time. Therefore, the
momentum found in the experiment is not the same as theoritical one.

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