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Questions and Answers
What is the product of?
What happens to momentum during a collision?
Why does momentum appear to be lost during a collision?
What is the purpose of using low-friction tracks or billiard balls in a lab?
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What is the purpose of adding mass to one of the carts in the physics lab?
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What is the purpose of the cart starter in the physics lab?
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What is measured using a stopwatch with a lap feature in the physics lab?
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What is the purpose of marking an ending point for the heavier cart on the track?
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Why is it recommended to repeat the experiment five times?
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What is the equation used to calculate the speed of each cart?
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What is the purpose of the duct tape on the track?
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What is the main source of error in the experiment?
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What is the equation used to check if conservation of momentum holds?
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Why might the conservation of momentum equation not be perfectly equal?
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What should be done if the conservation of momentum equation is not close to equal?
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Study Notes
Momentum and Conservation of Momentum
- Momentum is the product of an object's mass and velocity.
- An object with more mass or velocity has more momentum.
- Conservation of momentum states that momentum is neither created nor destroyed, only transferred from one place to another.
Physics Lab: Investigating Conservation of Momentum
- The lab uses an air track, carts, masses, a stopwatch, tape measure, duct tape, and a cart starter.
- The goal is to measure and analyze the momentum of two carts before and after a collision.
Lab Steps
- Measure the masses of each cart and attach masses to one cart to make it heavier.
- Set up the air track and position the carts accordingly.
- Measure distances and mark ending points for each cart.
- Use the stopwatch to measure travel times for each cart before and after the collision.
- Repeat the experiment five times and average the results.
Data Analysis
- Calculate the speed of each cart using the distance and time measurements.
- Use the equation p = mv to analyze the data and check if conservation of momentum holds.
- Compare the total momentum before and after the collision to see how close the results are.
Sources of Error
- The biggest source of error in the experiment is the timing for pressing the stopwatch buttons.
- All experiments have some uncertainty, and the best we can do is reduce and minimize it.
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Description
Learn about the concept of momentum, its relationship with mass and velocity, and how it is conserved in different scenarios, such as car crashes.
