Virtual Lab- Conservation of Momentum in Inelastic Collisions

Theory: “momentum is inertia in motion.” It is the product of mass and velocity. The law
of conservation of momentum states that in the absence of external forces, the
momentum of a system remains constant. Thus, when two objects collide, the total
momentum before the collision is the same as the total momentum after the collision.

There two types of collisions: elastic and inelastic.

Elastic collision: both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. These collisions
due not produce heat.
Inelastic collision: momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not conserved. Some
energy is lost as heat, sound, etc., during the collision. A perfectly inelastic collision is
one in which the objects stick together and move as one after the collision.

Purpose: To investigate conservation of momentum in an elastic collision.

Procedure

For this lab, we will be using an animation provided by Pearson publishing.

You will need Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer for this animation to work.
If you cannot open the animation, please google search with the error message you get.
This will allow you to search for solutions to fix the problem.

Please open the animation by Ctrl + clicking on the link below. You can also copy-paste
the link into the address bar of your web browser.

https://media.pearsoncmg.com/aw/aw_hewitt_cp_10/iFigs/Hewitt_IF_06_14.swf

Study the animation. Click on “How to Use” at the bottom of the animation window for
an explanation. Adjust the sliders for the red and green trucks to the values listed in
Table 1 below. Play the animation and record your observations in the Table. The first
row has been completed as an example.

We will use the following symbols for the physical quantities:

Mass of the green car = MG
Mass of the red car = MR
Initial velocity of the green car= ViG
Initial velocity of the red car= ViR
Initial momentum of green car= piG
Initial momentum of red car= piR
 Total initial momentum =Pi
Total final momentum =Pf
Please redo the observations and calculations for the first row so that you understand
how to do them for the other rows.

Please complete the following table. Use the sliders in the animation to adjust the
velocities and the masses of the trucks to the values listed in the table. After the trucks
collide, record the final velocity (Vf).

Row MG MR ViG ViR piG piR Pi Vf MG + M R Pf =

No. kg kg m/s m/s kgm/s kgm/s kgm/s m/s kg (MG + MR) Vf
kg m/s
1 500 1000 10 -5.0 5000 -5000 (5000)+ 0 1500 (1500)*(0) = 0
(-5000) =
0
2 100 1000 10 -5.0 -5000 5000 2.50 2000 5000
0 1000
0
3 100 1000 5.0 -10 5000 - -5000 -2.50 2000 -5000
0 10000
4 200 1000 5.0 2.0 2000 12000 4.00 3000 12000
0 1000
0
5 300 1000 10 5.0 3000 5000 35000 8.75 4000 35000
0 0

Calculate the final total momentum (Pf). The final momentum is the product of the final
velocity and (the sum of the two masses). Be very careful when are calculating. Double
check to make sure that your answer is the same as the initial total momentum Pi.
Record your answers in the table.

Questions.
Please select the best answer from the choices provided.

1. In row 1 of the table, we see that the total final momentum (P f) is

a) 1000 kg m/s because the momentums of the two trucks are both positive.
b) 1500 kg m/s because the momentums of the two trucks are exchanged.
c) zero because the momentums of the two trucks are equal and opposite and therefore
cancel out.
d) -1000 kg m/s because the momentums of the two trucks are both negative.
2. In row 2 of the table, we see that the total final momentum (P f) is
a) -5000 kg m/s, because the red truck has a higher negative velocity, and pushes the
green truck to the left.
b) 5000 kg m/s, because the green truck has a higher positive velocity, and pushes the
red truck to the right.
c) 0 kg m/s, because both truck end of with the same velocity at the end.
d) 0 kg m/s, because the masses of the two trucks are exactly the same.

3. From this lab, we see that momentum is

a) the sum of mass and velocity
c) the sum of the masses
d) the ratio of mass to velocity
d) the product of mass and velocity

4. From this lab, we see that

a) the total momentum is always conserved because P i = Pf for all rows.
b) the total momentum is never conserved for inelastic collisions
c) the total final velocity is always conserved for all rows
d) we cannot determine if momentum is conserved, since the animation does not
provide that information

5. The collisions between the trucks in this lab are

a) all elastic collisions, since the trucks keep moving after the collision.
b) all elastic collisions since the trucks are remain intact and are not broken apart.
c) part inelastic and part elastic because one truck has more momentum than the other.
d) all inelastic collisions since the two trucks stick together.

After you finish, please enter your answers in the corresponding quiz on eCampus for a
grade.