Pendulum Lab Question

Objectives of the lab investigate conservation of energy and momentum by using a ballistic pendulum. Introduction Conservation in a closed system is an important concept in physics experiments. If a quantity stays the same through an interaction, it is said to be conserved. This is the basis of one of the fundamental laws of physics, the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy in an isolated system cannot be created or destroyed but only converted from one form to another. An isolated system in physics is one that does not exchange matter with its surroundings and does not experience a net (unbalanced) force from external sources. This is an abstract concept that we will try to mimic in this lab. Momentum (p) is the product of the mass (m) of the object and its velocity (v) p=mv Momentum is also a quantity that is conserved in an isolated system. When two objects (or more) interact in an isolated system, the total momentum of the system is the same before and after that interaction. Po= Pf To investigate conservation of energy and momentum you will use the collision between a bullet and a bullet catch of a ballistic pendulum as shown below. Pendulum arm Spring launcher Ballistic Pendulum Angle measuring arm Ball catch Prying rod Check manufacturer video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?y=NCCZOaHb6y4 A steel ball of known mass m is loaded into the spring launcher and launched with an initial speed vo with into the ball catch with a mass M suspended by a rod of length L. The spring of the launcher stores elastic potential energy, which is released into the steel ball as kinetic energy (K). After the collision, the pendulum and ball stick together and swing with an initial velocity v to a maximum angular displacement 0. The kinetic energy of the pendulum (ball+ball catch) is transformed into gravitational potential energy (U.) as the pendulum reaches its highest point.A steel ball of known mass m is loaded into the spring launcher and launched with an initial speed vo with into the ball catch with a mass M suspended by a rod of length L. The spring of the launcher stores elastic potential energy, which is released into the steel ball as kinetic energy (K). After the collision, the pendulum and ball stick together and swing with an initial velocity v to a maximum angular displacement 0. The kinetic energy of the pendulum (ball+ball catch) is transformed into gravitational potential energy (U.) as the pendulum reaches its highest point. L M M+ m The right triangle created after the pendulum swings to its maximum height h has a side L - h and hypotenuse. Find h in terms of the angle O and the length of the pendulum L from cost =_ L-h L L-h=Loose L h=L(1-cose) h http://physicstasks.ew/ Fig. 1 from Ballistic pendulum 1, Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, https://physicstasks.eu/377/ballistic-pendulum-1 When the pendulum is at its maximum height, its potential energy is maximum and kinetic energy is zero. Vice-versa, when the pendulum is at the bottom (zero height), its potential energy is zero and kinetic energy is maximum. U g.max =[m+M)gh=U. K max = =(m+M)v By applying the conservation of energy law, calculate the speed of the system ball+ball catch right after their collision: m+M|gh==(m+M)v v=v2gh Use the conservation of momentum law to determine speed of the system right before the collision. A collision is a short interaction between two objects. The harder the objects the shorter the collision, and the softer the objects the longer the collision. Total inelastic collisions are those where the interacting bodies are free to move away from one another after the collision and their total kinetic energy stays the same. Inelastic collisions are those where the two objects are locked to one another after the collision and therefore have the same final velocity. The kinetic energy of the system doesn't remain the same before and after the collisions, as some of it changes into internal energy