UIC 

Physics Department  Physics 141  Laboratory Manual 

 

Collisions
The conservation laws for linear momentum and energy state that the total momentum and energy of an
isolated system remain constant. This is true at all times in the system, even if some momentum or energy
is transferred from one component of the system to another. In this experiment, you measure the motion
and mass of a system comprised of colliding objects and

Objectives
 Measure the motion of objects that undergo collisions
 Calculate the changes in momentum and energy in the collision
 Test the conservation law for linear momentum and energy

Introduction
The linear momentum, 𝑝⃗, that an object or system of objects possesses is defined as

𝑝⃗ 𝑚𝑣⃗ 1

where m is the mass of the object, and 𝑣⃗ is its velocity.

Newton’s 2nd law can also be written in terms of momentum:

⃗
𝐹⃗ 2

It states that the rate of the change of the object’s momentum with time is equal to the net external force
acting on this object. The impulse, or change in momentum, is then the integral of the force over the time
over which the force acts:

𝐹⃗ 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑝⃗ 𝐽⃗ Impulse 3

In the case of a collision between two objects, they exert equal and
opposite forces on each other, called internal forces. If the only forces
involved are internal forces and no externally applied force intervenes
𝐹⃗ 0 , the total momentum of the colliding bodies is said to be
conserved, 𝑑𝑝⃗ 0 . That is:
𝑝⃗ 𝑝⃗ 4

where the subscripts are with respect to the time of the collision. Note
that in our current approach, we are considering vector momenta, which
means that each component of the vector and not just the magnitude
must be conserved. Figure 1 represents this situation. Two vectors are Figure 1: Collision of two pucks
equal only when their components are identical. on an air-table, viewed from
above.
To test Eq. 4 we must determine and then compare the momentum
components of the total system before and after the collision.

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UIC Physics Department  Physics 141  Laboratory Manual 
 
The masses of the pucks used in this experiment are different; one puck is “normal” and the other is a
“composite” puck that consists of a normal puck with a steel ring attached. If the subscripts ‘n’ and ‘c’
indicate the “normal” and the “composite” pucks, respectively, and if the subscript ‘0’ refers to the velocities
before the collision, then Eq. 4 can be written as follows,

𝑚 𝑣⃗ , 𝑚 𝑣⃗ , 𝑝⃗ , 𝑝⃗ , 𝑝⃗ 𝑝⃗ 𝑚 𝑣⃗ 𝑚 𝑣⃗ 5

We can rewrite the last equation in components along the x and y axes,

𝑚 𝑣 , 𝑚 𝑣 , 𝑝 , 𝑝 𝑚 𝑣 𝑚 𝑣 6

𝑚 𝑣 , 𝑚 𝑣 , 𝑝 , 𝑝 𝑚 𝑣 𝑚 𝑣 7

Since we will be measuring displacements and time intervals, we can substitute into Eq. 6 and Eq. 7 our
∆ ∆
definition of velocity, 𝑣 or 𝑣 to obtain
∆ ∆

∆ , ∆ , ∆ ∆
𝑚 𝑚 𝑝 , 𝑝 𝑚 𝑚 8
∆ ∆ ∆ ∆

∆ , ∆ , ∆ ∆
𝑚 𝑚 𝑝 , 𝑝 𝑚 𝑚 9
∆ ∆ ∆ ∆

If two objects collide, momentum is conserved during the collision. However, we can further classify
collisions depending on what happens to the kinetic energy, 𝐾, of the particles during the collision.
Collisions can be classified as:
 An elastic collision is one in which the total kinetic energy is the same before and
after the collision.
 An inelastic collision is a collision where total kinetic energy is not the same before and after the
collision. If the objects stick together the collision is ’totally inelastic’.
Therefore, if a collision is elastic, then the following expression must be true:
𝐾 𝐾 10

For a collision between two pucks, Eq. 10 can be written as follows,

𝑚 𝑣 , 𝑚 𝑣 , 𝑚 𝑣 𝑚 𝑣 11

or
, ,
12

Please keep in mind that energy is a scalar not a vector, such as momentum 𝑝⃗ or velocity 𝑣⃗ and
consequently you do not need to use components.

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If a collision is not elastic, then the fractional kinetic energy loss can be calculated as

∆
13

Equipment Figure 2

 Air table with sparktimer, 18 psi air pipe

line, wooden blocks and level
 Two pucks
 Carbone and recording paper
 Ruler, transparent triangle and protractor
 Ohaus digital balance

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UIC Physics Department  Physics 141  Laboratory Manual 
 

Collisions
Experimental Procedure and Data Analysis

Lab Section Day & Time : ________________________________

Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Station#: ____________

Partner: ______________________________________________________________________

In this experiment you will investigate conservation of momentum and conservation of energy. You
will determine the pre-collision and post-collision momentum for a system consisting of two pucks as
shown in Figure 1.

1. Put a piece of white paper on top of carbon paper. Then attach the air hoses to both pucks.

2. Gently place the digital balance on top of air table and measure the masses of normal and composite
pucks with the air hose attached. Record its values in Table 1.
Table 1. Puck Masses
3. Turn airline valve to open it and level the air table by
Type of Puck Mass kg
means of the four adjustable legs until a puck placed
near the center of the table is essentially motionless. Normal
Composite

Practice projecting the two pucks simultaneously from adjacent corners so that they collide near the center
of the air-table. The collision need not be too gentle! After sufficient practice, try to obtain a spark trace for
a collision.
Normal Puck: Momentum Components
4. Now, you are ready to record in Table 2 five values of ∆𝑥 corresponding to ∆𝑡 0.1 s before the collision
for the normal puck make sure that the proper sign to ∆𝑥 is included . Also make sure that parts of the
trace formed when your hand is in contact with the puck are not included. Use these values to determine
the x-component of linear momentum of the normal puck. Then, repeat the procedure for the portion of
the normal puck’s trace corresponding to after the collision.
5. Repeat the procedure to obtain values for ∆𝑦 before and after collision. You can now use your values for
∆𝑥 and ∆𝑦 to determine 𝑣 and 𝑣 . Then, using the normal puck’s mass from Table 1 you can determine
the x and y components of the normal puck’s momentum before and after collision. After you have done
this, you can determine the average value for these momentum values and record them in Table 2.
Composite Puck: Momentum Components
6. Repeat the procedure above for the composite puck and record the results in Table 3.

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Table 2. Momentum components for the normal puck

Normal Puck
Trial x – component y – component
# ∆𝑥 , (m) 𝑣 , (m/s) 𝑝 , (kg m/s) ∆𝑦 , (m) 𝑣 , (m/s) 𝑝 , (kg m/s)
1
Before 2
collision 3
4
5
# ∆𝑥 (m) 𝑣 (m/s) 𝑝 (kg m/s) ∆𝑦 (m) 𝑣 (m/s) 𝑝 (kg m/s)
1
After 2
collision 3
4
5

Table 3. Momentum components for the composite puck

Composite Puck
Trial x – component y – component
# ∆𝑥 , (m) 𝑣 , (m/s) 𝑝 , (kg m/s) ∆𝑦 , (m) 𝑣 , (m/s) 𝑝 , (kg m/s)
1
Before 2
collision 3
4
5
# ∆𝑥 (m) 𝑣 (m/s) 𝑝 (kg m/s) ∆𝑦 (m) 𝑣 (m/s) 𝑝 (kg m/s)
1
After 2
collision 3
4
5

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UIC Physics Department  Physics 141  Laboratory Manual 
 
7. Calculate the average momentum components along x- and y-axis for initial and final momenta for each
puck including the uncertainties associated with each of these values. Record the results below.

Normal Puck
Before collision After collision
x-component
〈𝑝 , , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s 〈𝑝 , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s

y-component
〈𝑝 , , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s 〈𝑝 , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s

Composite Puck
Before collision After collision
x-component
〈𝑝 , , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s 〈𝑝 , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s

y-component
〈𝑝 , , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s 〈𝑝 , 〉 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s

Two-Puck System
Before collision After collision
x-component
𝑝 , ________________  ________________ kg  m/s 𝑝 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s

y-component
𝑝 , ________________  ________________ kg  m/s 𝑝 ________________  ________________ kg  m/s

8. Repeat the same calculations for the two-puck system and record the results in the space provided above.
To get more accurate results you should use your average values found in step 7 and recorded above. Then,
use the propagation of error Addition and Subtraction Rule to calculate the uncertainties of the
momentum components for the two-puck system.
Question 1. Is each puck’s x and y components of momentum constant before and after the collision?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Question 2. Is each puck’s x and y components of momentum before the collision equal to that after the
collision?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Question 3. Is the two-puck system’s x and y components of momentum constant before and after the
collision?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Question 4. If momentum is conserved, the total x-component before the collision 𝑝 , 〈𝑝 , , 〉 〈𝑝 , , 〉
should equal the total x-component after the collision 𝑝 〈𝑝 , 〉 〈𝑝 , 〉 within its uncertainties.
Similarly, the y-component 𝑝 , 〈𝑝 , , 〉 〈𝑝 , , 〉 should equal 𝑝 〈𝑝 , 〉 〈𝑝 , 〉. Do your data show
good confirmation of conservation of momentum. Briefly discuss your results and discuss any
contributions to the uncertainties you might suggest.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Determine the impulse experienced by each puck by using the average momentum components along x-
and y-axis calculated in step 7 and record it in Table 4.
Table 4. Impulse components for each puck
x-component y-component
Type of Puck
kg  m/s kg  m/s
Normal 𝐽 , 𝐽 ,

Composite 𝐽 , 𝐽 ,

10. Use the impulse values listed in Table 4 to

draw on the diagram to the right or in Excel
template two vectors depicting the impulse on
each puck.

11. Calculate the kinetic energy and its average

value for each puck and two-puck system before
and after collision and record its values in Table 5.
12. Use Eq. 13 to calculate the fractional change
in kinetic energy and record its value below.

∆
100 _____________________ % Table 5. Kinetic Energy of each puck
Normal Composite Two-Puck
Puck Puck System
Question 5. What type of collision elastic/inelastic is it? Before 𝐾 , (J) 𝐾 , (J) 𝐾 , (J)
____________________________________________________________ collision
____________________________________________________________ After 𝐾 (J) 𝐾 (J) 𝐾 (J)
collision
____________________________________________________________

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