The Conservation of Linear Momentum - Lab Report Example

At the point of impact, some amount of momentum is conserved whereby the kinetic energy ‘lost’ is converted again into potential energy. This analysis is well explained by the perfect relationship between the experimental ratio and the theoretical ratio of the kinetic energy before and after the impact.

The measured quantity that contributed most to the uncertainty in this experiment is the velocity that changes the momentum of the moving ball. In this case, therefore, if a small amount increases the mass of the ball, the height to which the pendulum rises before coming to rest increases in the same margin (Wilson, et al. 2006). However, the increment is in perfect harmony with the increment in mass, so that the spring force applied by the spring gun does not change.