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Sticky Collisions
In this activity, one moving cart will strike a stationary cart. During the collision, the two carts will stick together. You will measure mass and velocity, both before and after the collision. You then will calculate the momentum both before and after the collision.

 

Question
How is the momemtum of a system affected by a sticky collision?

 

Objectives

  • Describe how momentum is transferred during a collision.
  • Measure in SI the momenta involved.
  • Interpret Data from a collision.
  • Draw Conclusions that support the law of conservation of momentum.

 

Safety Precautions

Goggles Apron

 

Possible Materials

Internet access required

 

Procedure

  1. View Chapter 9 lab video clip 1 (video clips are in Quicktime format) to determine the mass of the carts.


  2. Record the mass of each of cart in the Data Table


  3. Watch video clip 2: Cart 1 strikes Cart 2


  4. In the video, three frames represent 0.1 s, and the main gridlines are separated by 10 cm. Record the distance Cart 1 travels in 0.1 s, before the collision in the Data Table.


  5. Observe the collision. Record the distance the Cart 1-Cart 2 system travels in 0.1 s after the collision in the Data Table.


  6. Repeat steps 3-5 for video clip 3: Carts 1 and 3 strike Cart 2.


  7. Repeat steps 3-5 for video clip 4: Cart 1 strikes Carts 2 and 3.


  8. Repeat steps 3-5 for video clip 5: Carts 1 and 3 strike Carts 2 and 4.

 
Analyze

  1. Calculate the initial and final velocities for each of the cart systems.


  2. Calculate the initial and final momentum for each of the cart systems.


  3. Make and Use Graphs Make a graph of final momentum versus initial momentum for all the video clips.

 
Conclude and Apply

  1. What is the relationship between the initial momentum and the final momentum of the cart systems in a sticky collision?


  2. In theory, what should be the slope of the line in your graph?


  3. The initial and final data numbers may not be the same due to the precision of the instruments, friction and other variables. Is the initial momentum typically greater or less than the final momentum? Explain.


 
Going Further

  1. Describe what the velocity and momentum data might look like if the carts did not stick together, but rather, bounced off of each other?


  2. Design an experiment to test the impact of friction during the collision of the cart systems. Predict how the slope of the line in your graph will change with your experiment, and then try your experiment.

 
Real World Physics
  1. Suppose a linebacker collides with a stationary quarterback and they become entangled. What will happen to the velocity of the linebacker-quarterback system if momentum is conserved?


  2. If a car rear-ends a stationary car so that the two cars become attached, what will happen to the velocity of the first car? The second car?

 

Share Your Data

Interpret Data Post your findings in the Share Your Data fields from the experiment testing the impact of friction during the collisions of the cart systems. Examine your data, and graph final momentum versus initial momentum. Notice how close to or far off the slope is from 1.00.

 
Inital Momentum
Collision Type
m1
(g)
t 
(s)
d 
(cm)
v1
(cm/s)
p1i
(g·cm/s)
m2
(g)
t 
(s)
d 
(cm)
v2
(cm/s)
p2i
(g·cm/s)
Initial
Momentum
(g·cm/s)
Elastic Inelastic

 

Final Momentum
Collision Type
m1
(g)
t 
(s)
d 
(cm)
v1
(cm/s)
p1f
(g·cm/s)
m2
(g)
t 
(s)
d 
(cm)
v2
(cm/s)
p2f
(g·cm/s)
Final
Momentum
(g·cm/s)
Elastic Inelastic

 

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