Conservation of Momentum Lab:

Lab website: http://www.gigaphysics.com/momentum_lab.html

If this link doesn't work, go to www.gigaphysics.com, virtual lab, conservation of momentum.

Part I: Measure the Cart:

1. Find the length of the carts by using the calipers in the upper left corner. Convert the length to meters and record it in the table.

2. Find the mass of the carts by dragging the cars over to the electronic balance. Convert the mass to kilograms and record your data.

Cart Color	Length (m)	Mass (kg)

Part II: Inelastic Collisions:

1. Select "same direction" from the carts' direction menu and "inelastic" from the collision behavior menu.

2. Click start carts to put the carts in motion. The time that you see is the time it takes for the cart to go through the photogate. The arrows will show the direction and color of the cart.

3. Calculate the velocity of the cart by using the length of the cart and the time traveled.

4. Calculate the momentum of each cart and kinetic energy.

5. Calculate the kinetic energy.

Data & Calculation Table:

	Mass (kg)	Length (m)	Time (s)	Velocity (m/s)	Momentum (kg m/s)	Kinetic energy (J)
Purple cart before
Green cart before
Purple and green together

Show one set of calculation from the above table, include equation and calculations:

a. Velocity:

b. Momentum:

c. Kinetic energy:

Summary Table	Before Collision	After Collision
Momentum
Kinetic energy

From the above data, summarize your finding for an inelastic collision. What did you notice about the momentum (before and after) and what did you notice about the kinetic energy (before and after).

Part III: Elastic Collisions:

1. Select "opposite direction" from the carts' direction menu and "elastic" from the collision behavior menu.

2. Click start carts to put the carts in motion. The time that you see is the time it takes for the cart to go through the photogate. The arrows will show the direction and color of the cart. Don't forget to assign positive and negatives since they are going opposite directions.

3. Calculate the velocity of the cart by using the length of the cart and the time traveled.

4. Calculate the momentum of each cart and kinetic energy.

5. Calculate the kinetic energy.

Data and Calculations:

	Mass (kg)	Length (m)	Time (s)	Velocity (m/s)	Momentum (kg m/s)	Kinetic energy (J)
Purple Cart Before
Green Cart Before
Purple Cart After
Green Cart After

Summary Table:

	Before Collision	After Collision
Momentum
Kinetic energy

From the above data, summarize your finding for an inelastic collision. What did you notice about the momentum (before and after) and what did you notice about the kinetic energy (before and after).

Summarize:

___________________ is conserved in all kinds of collisions, whether elastic or inelastic, but kinetic energy is only conserved in _______________ collisions.

Thought question: Do you think there is any combination of conditions in this lab under which momentum would not have been conserved? Explain yo