Conservation of Total Linear Momentum and the Conservation of Energy in a Collision between Pucks - Lab Report Example

Elastic collisions the lab: of the lab of lecturer: Lab partners 2. In this experiment, the main purpose is to study the conservation of total linear momentum and the conservation of energy in a collision between two pucks of equal mass. A frequency generator will be used to determine the time elapsed by the pucks as they collide against a wall. The data recorded will then be used t determine the amount of energy conserved in the motion. Introduction A perfectly elastic collision is one in which both kinetic energy and momentums are conserved. This means that the momentum is conserved: Since the momentum is a vector, it can be broken down into x and y components. The momentum must be conserved for each axis.

This means that kinetic energy is also conserved Energy is a scalar factor and therefore there is no need to break the express down into its components. Objective The objective of this experiment is to study the conservation of total linear momentum and the conservation of energy in a collision between two pucks of equal mass.Procedure The air table is leveled by turning on the air compressor and then placing one of the pucks at the center of the table and checking for any movement. Adjustment of the two front legs will eliminate any form of tilt either to the right or to the left sides.

The single rear leg is adjusted to eliminate any forward and backward tilt. The inspector should inspect the apparatus before they are turned. With the spark, and generator turned off, one of the pucks is placed near the center of the table with an initial velocity of zero, and using the plastic launcher with the rubber band is used to shoot the other puck p1 towards p2. The collision is not head-on and therefore the puck moves off at a different angle after the collision. After one has had enough practice to control the motion, two wires are attached from the pucks to the spark generator, and the frequency of the generator is set to 20 Hz and left to warm for about a minute.

The pedal step is lightly pressed to launch the puck and the pedal is released after the collision has occurred before the puck hits the wall. Results Distance traveled Time elapsed Average angle of travel Vx Vy P1 before0.22 m 0.55 sec 0.4 00.40P1 after 0.15 m0.5 sec0.3270.260.136P ½ before 0.00 m0.00 sec 0000P ½ after 0.105 m0.55 sec0.190510.11950.427Momentum is conserved and therefore: For the y axis For kinetic energy Data analysis. How did you find the elapsed time? Explain mathematically why this method works.

To determine the elapsed time, we consider the given frequency and the recorded distance during the experiment. Time is a function of frequency and therefore we use the formula After obtaining the frequency, we consider the number of oscillations per second and hence obtain the elapsed time by multiplication the frequency by the number of oscillations. b. Did the center of the mass travel in a straight line? What was its velocity? The center of the mass traveled in a straight line along the x-axis at a velocity of 0.4 m/s.c.

Was the momentum conserved in the x direction? In the y? Overall? Momentum conserved in the x directionMomentum conserved in the x directionMomentum conserved overall d. What do these results indicate? These results indicate the conservation of total linear momentum and the conservation of energy in a collision between two pucks of equal mass. e. Was this an elastic collision? Why or why not? This collision is an example of an elastic collision motion. This is because energy is conserved after the collision.