This experiment is all about conservation of momentum and collisions.
First, an air track is set up which provides a frictionless surface. A glider of fixed mass is placed on the air track and has a card fixed on to the top of it. The purpose of the card is to cut through the beam of the light gate.
The mass of the second glider is measured and pushed so that it collides with the first. The velocities before the collision and after the collision are measured.
The experiment is repeated, confirming the principle of the conservation of momentum. Our results showed that the bigger the mass of the second glider, the more momentum it had. This meant that the combined momentum of the first and second glider (they stick together) after the collision is larger and the velocity is higher. Results are shown below:
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Momentum Before (Kgm/s)
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Momentum After (kgm/s)
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0.2544345
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0.2350898
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0.3193965
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0.3419488
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0.2549345
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0.2244039
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0.2598480
|
0.2326603
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0.2111256
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0.2052885
|
|
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