PASCO ME-6831 Ballistic Pendulum_Projectile Launcher - Manual (Page 38)

P r o j e c t i l e L a u n c h e r E x p . 6 : C o n s e r v a t i o n o f M o m e n t u m
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34 012-05375C
C. Inelastic Collision
1. Draw straight lines from the “point-of-contact” spot to the dots made by the ‘inelastic collision’ shot. (There
should be two lines.)
2. Measure from the “point-of-contact” to each of the dots made by the ‘inelastic collision’ shot.
3. Measure the angle from the centerline to the straight line for each dot of the ‘inelastic collision’ shot.
4. Use the angle and the length of the lines for the shot to calculate the x-component and the y-component for
each ball in the ‘inelastic collision’ shot. Record the values.
5. After the collision, add the x-momentum for Ball 1 and the x-momentum for Ball 2 and record the result in
Table 6.2 as “Final x-momentum”.
6. Calculate the initial kinetic energy of Ball 1 and the sum of the kinetic energy of Ball 1 and Ball 2 after the
collision.
7. Calculate the percent differences.
Questions
1. Was momentum conserved in the x-direction for each type of collision?
2. Was momentum conserved in the y-direction for each type of collision?
3. Was kinetic energy conserved for the elastic collision?
4. Was kinetic energy conserved for the inelastic collision?
5. For the elastic collision, was the angle between the paths of the balls after the collision equal to 90 degrees as
expected?
6. For the inelastic collision, what was the angle between the paths of the balls after the collision? Why is it less
than 90 degrees?
Table 6.2: Data for the Inelastic Collisions
Item Value Item Value Percent difference
Initial x-momentum.
Ball 1
Final x-momentum,
Ball 1 + Ball 2
Final y-momentum,
Ball 1
Final y-momentum,
Ball 2
Initial kinetic energy,
Ball 1
Final kinetic energy,
Ball 1 + Ball 2