Community College of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Experiment Number: M-9B

Title: Conversation of Energy and Momentum

Dynamic Track Version

Performed by: Karama Hasasna

Physics course: Physics 140

Lab day: 3/19/2018

Lab Instructor: Wojciech Gontar

Date due: 3/26/2018

Purpose:

The goal of this experiment is to study the laws of conversation of energy and conversation of

momentum as applied to the collision of two collision cars on a dynamic track.

Procedure:

1. We weight the two carts to make sure they have the same mass using a triple beam

balance. Then We added small weight to the lighter cart so that the masses are as close as

possible and label one A and the other B.

2. we measured the length of top part of each cart, using a centimeter scale. Then we

recorded the length and the mass of each cart a and b in the data sheet.

3. Then we placed cart A at the left end of the dynamic track and cart B at rest between the

two photocell gate timers.

4. we launched cart A briskly and observed it strike cart B.

5. We recorded the final readings of the timers on the data sheet. The time on the left was

for cart A and the time on the right was for cartB. then we calculated the velocity of each

cart and recorded in the data sheet.

6. Calculated the momentum of each cart before and after the collision. Calculated the net

momentum of the system of two cart before and after the collision.

7. Calculated the percent difference in the momentum of the system of two carts.

8. Calculated the impulse on cart A and the impulse on cart B

9. Calculated the coefficient of restitution. Then Calculated the initial and final kinetic

energies in joules. Calculated the percent difference.

Calculation:

Trail 1:

𝐿𝑎
𝑣𝑎1 = = 0.152/ 0.1475= 1.031 m/s
𝑡𝑎

𝐿𝑏
𝑣𝑏2 = = 0.152/ 0.1666= 0.9157 m/s
𝑡𝑏

𝑃𝑎1 = 𝑚𝑎 × 𝑣𝑎1 = 0.498 * 1.031= 0.5132 kg.m/s

𝑃𝑏2 = 𝑚𝑏 × 𝑣𝑏2 = 0.498* 0.9157= 0.4551 kg.m/s

𝑃1 = 𝑚𝑎 𝑣𝑎1 + 𝑚𝑏 𝑣𝑏1= 0.5132 + 0= 0.5132 kg.m/s

𝑃2 = 𝑚𝑎 𝑣𝑎2 + 𝑚𝑏 𝑣𝑏2= 0+ 0.4551= 0.4551 kg.m/s

𝑃 −𝑃 0.5132−0.4551
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = |𝑃𝑎+𝑃𝑏| × 200 == |0.5132+0.4551| × 200 = 12.00%
𝑎 𝑏

𝐼𝑎 = 𝑚𝑎 𝑣𝑎2 − 𝑚𝑎 𝑣𝑎1 = 0 – 0.5132= - 0.5132 N. s

𝐼𝑏 = 𝑚𝑏 𝑣𝑏2 − 𝑚𝑏 𝑣𝑏1= 0.4551- 0 = 0. 4551N.s

𝑣𝑎2 −𝑣𝑏2 0−0.9157

e= = = 0.8882
𝑣𝑏1 −𝑣𝑎1 0−1.031

1 1 1
𝐾𝐸1 = 2 𝑚𝑎 𝑣𝑎1 2 + 2 𝑚𝑏 𝑣𝑏1 2 = 2 (0.498 ∗ 1.0312 + 0) = 0.2647 𝐽

1 1 1
𝐾𝐸2 = 2 𝑚𝑎 𝑣𝑎2 2 + 2 𝑚𝑏 𝑣𝑏2 2 = 2 ( 0 + 0.498 ∗ 0.91572 ) = 0.2088 J

𝐾𝐸 −𝐾𝐸 0.2088−0.2647
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝐾𝐸 = |𝐾𝐸2 +𝐾𝐸1 | × 200 = |0.2088+0.2647| × 200 = 23.6%
2 1

Trail 2:
𝑣𝑎1 = 0.152/ 0.2769= 0.5489 m/s

𝑣𝑏2 = 0.152/ 0.3010= 0.5050 m/s

𝑃𝑎1 = 0.508 *0.5489 = 0.2788 kg.m/s

𝑃𝑏2 = 0.508* 0.5050= 0.2565 kg.m/s

𝑃1 = 0.2788 + 0 = 0.2788 kg.m/s

𝑃2 = 0+ 0.2565 = 0.2565 kg.m/s

0.2788−0.2565
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = |0.2788+0.2565| × 200 = 8.330%

𝐼𝑎 = 0 – 0.2788= - 0.2788 N. s

𝐼𝑏 = 0.2565- 0 = 0.2565 N. s

0−0.5050
e= = 0.9200
0−0.5489

1
𝐾𝐸1 = 2 (0.508 ∗ 0.54892 + 0) = 0.0765 𝐽

1
𝐾𝐸2 = 2 ( 0 + 0.508 ∗ 0.50502 ) = 0.0648 J

0.0765−0.0648
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝐾𝐸 = |0.0765+0.0648| × 200 = 16.6%

Trail 3:

𝑣𝑎1 = 0.152/ 0.3182= 0.4777 m/s

𝑣𝑏2 = 0.152/ 0.3650= 0.4164m/s

𝑃𝑎1 = 0.5182 *0.4777 = 0.2475 kg.m/s

𝑃𝑏2 = 0.5182* 0.4164= 0. 2158kg.m/s

𝑃1 = 0.2475+ 0 = 0.2475 kg.m/s

𝑃2 = 0+ 0.2158 = 0.2158kg.m/s

0.2475−0.2158
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = |0.2475+0.2158| × 200 = 13.70%

𝐼𝑎 = 0 – 0.2475= - 0.2475 N.s

𝐼𝑏 = 0.2158- 0 = 0.2158 N.s

0−0.4164
e= = 0.8717
0−0.4777

1
𝐾𝐸1 = 2 (0.5182 ∗ 0.47772 + 0) = 0.0591 𝐽

1
𝐾𝐸2 = 2 ( 0 + 0.5182 ∗ 0.41642 ) = 0.0449 J

0.0591−0.0449
% 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝐾𝐸 = |0.0591+0.0449| × 200 = 27.3%

Questions:

1. Some of the kinetic energy is converted into other forms of energy (e.g., heat,
sound which may be kinetic energy at the atomic level) or in deforming the
impacting objects. The total of all energy (including kinetic, potential) is
conserved, not any form of energy.
2. They have the same velocity before impact (because their acceleration is the
constant g). Because momentum is equal to mv, the larger mass has twice the
momentum.
3. The collision was not perfectly elastic because the coefficient of restitution was not
exactly 1. And the final kinetic energy is less than initial kinetic energy then we
can say that collision is not perfectly elastic. the collision can be determined based
 on the conversation of the kinetic energy and the coefficient of restitution where in
the elastic Collison the kinetic energy is conversed, and the coefficient of
restitution should be exactly one.
Analysis and Discussion
The momentum prior to the collision and the momentum after the collision was not the same
exactly in the three trails. The percentage difference between the momentum prior to and after the
collision was between 8.330% and13.70%. The energy prior to the collision and the energy after the
collision was not conserved too. The percentage difference between the energy prior to and after the
collision was between 16.6% and 27.3%. The reason that both the energy and momentum decreased was
that the A cart were just able to clear the spot where the timing took place. When we tried to push the
carts just a little bit harder, we ended up with an inelastic collision. The second B cart also slowed
between the first and last intervals. We may push the cart not hard or fast enough. This random error
affects the variation in our data; however, it does not affect the mean value. We tried to reduce our
random error by doing more and more trials. The biggest and most important source of systematic error
was that Friction. Though the design of the cart and track were meant to minimize friction, neither can
ever be totally frictionless when they are in contact with each other. During the sliding, the kinetic
frictional force from the track slows the carts by transferring energy from its kinetic energy to thermal
energy. The other possible source of random error was that we had an inelastic collision. An inelastic
collision would cause some energy to be wasted in the collision like the sound we heard and since my
calculations showed that there was significantly less kinetic energy after the collision than before the
collision, I do believe we had an inelastic collision. And the final kinetic energy is less than initial kinetic
energy then we can say that collision is not perfectly elastic which Some of the kinetic energy is
converted into other forms of energy (e.g., heat, sound which may be kinetic energy at the atomic level)
Our group also did more trials than were called for just in case we had an inelastic collision once we
started to analyze the data. While we collected the data, we tried to ensure that we didn’t have an
inelastic collision by being careful with how hard we pushed the cart even though we still heard sound
which mean loss of kinetic energy.