CONSERVATION OF

WEEMX'ROPEMEREHINIRTUINMG!
MENT
LAB REPORT
BY

KANOKNOP
PORAMIN
BOONSITA
PRAPASSORN
GENERAL PHYSICS 1101
 INTRODUCTION

IN PHYSICS, MOMENTUM IS A QUANTITY OF

MOTION WHICH IS GIVEN A SYMBOL P. A LINEAR
MOMENTUM IS DEFINED A FORMULA AS P = MV
WHERE M IS MASS AND V IS VELOCITY. THE
MOMENTUM CAN BE EXPRESSED WITH SI UNIT OF
KG⋅M/S. MOREOVER, MOMENTUM IS CERTAINLY
A VECTOR QUANTITY BECAUSE IT IS
CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING MASS WHICH IS
SCALAR WITH VELOCITY WHICH IS VECTOR.
ACCORDING TO THE FORMULA ABOVE, IT CAN BE
INFERRED THAT BOTH MASS AND VELOCITY ARE
DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE QUANTITY OF
MOMENTUM. AS YOU DOUBLING EITHER MASS OR
VELOCITY, MOMENTUM DOUBLES. LAW OF
CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM STATES THAT
MOMENTUM IS CONSERVED WHEN IT IS IN
EITHER CLOSED SYSTEM OR ISOLATED SYSTEM.
CLOSED SYSTEM IS WHEN OBJECT’S MASS IN A
SYSTEM DOESN’T LOSE OR GAIN. ISOLATED
SYSTEM IS WHEN THERE IS NO EXTERNAL FORCE
EXERTS TO AN OBJECT IN THE SYSTEM.
ADDITIONALLY, FOR A COLLISION BETWEEN TWO
OBJECTS, MOMENTUM OF THE TWO OBJECTS
BEFORE THE COLLISION IS EQUAL TO MOMENTUM
OF THE TWO OBJECTS AFTER THE COLLISION
WHICH IS FORMULATED AS P₁ = P₂. THERE WERE
TWO TYPES OF COLLISION WHICH ARE ELASTIC
COLLISION AND INELASTIC COLLISION. ELASTIC
COLLISION IS A COLLISION THAT AFTER TWO
OBJECTS COLLIDE, THEY SEPARATE. ON THE
OTHER HAND, FOR INELASTIC COLLISION, TWO
OBJECTS STICK AND GO TOGETHER IN THE SAME
DIRECTION.
Objective The purpose of this
experiment is to understand
the law of conservation of
momentum and to differentiate
between elastic collision and
inelastic collision.
"Momentum?"
Materials

2 Vernier carts 2  stopwatches

Mass Scale
Low friction
Vernier Track
SET-UP
PROCEDURES
Label the Vernier cart 1 and 2
Weight each cart by using the mass-scale
Place cart 2 at the end of the track which is labeled 0cm
Place cart 1 20 centimeters apart from the cart 2
For Inelastic collision, place magnetic side of each cart
facing together
Push cart 2 and start the first stopwatch and stop the
stopwatch when it collides with cart 1(20 centimeters)
Start the second timer when cart 2 collides with cart 1
and stop the stopwatch after cart 1 reaches 20
centimeters 
Record the data (by looking at the front of the cart after
it reaches 20 centimeters)
Repeat number 5 to 8 for 2 more times 
For Elastic collision, place velcro side of each cart
facing together
Push cart 2 and start the first stopwatch and stop the
stopwatch when it collides with cart 1(20 centimeters)
Start the second timer when cart 2 collides with cart 1
and stop the stopwatch after they reach 20
centimeters 
Record the data (by looking at the front of the cart after
it reaches 20 centimeters)
Repeat number 10 to 13 for 2 more times
 RESULTS
INELASTIC COLLISION
RESULTS
ELASTIC COLLISION
 Analysis
     According to the data in first table which is
Inelastic collision, before the collision, the cart 2
was moving with higher velocity then after the
collision. This is because after the collision the 2
carts are moving together with the mass of the two
carts are combined also they will also take longer
time. Therefore, the momentum after the collision is
more than before the collision, this is because the
mass is increased and also the time is increased.
     On the other hand, for the second table which is
Elastic collision, the cart 2 is moving and at rest
after the collision then the cart 1 will start moving.
From the data, the cart 1 after the collision is
moving with faster velocity than the cart 2 before
the collision because the friction of the track might
not be the same, so these may influence the cart 1
has more velocity than the cart 2. However,
according to the law of conservation of momentum,
it should be same velocity.
 CONCLUSION
     AFTER WE HAVE FINISHED OUR EXPERIMENT, WE CAN
CONCLUDE THAT IN INELASTIC COLLISION THE MOMENTUM
ISN’T CONSERVED SINCE THE SYSTEM ISN’T A CLOSED
SYSTEM THERE’S AN ADDITIONAL MASS GAINED AFTER THE
COLLISION. ON THE OTHER HAND, IN ELASTIC COLLISION
WE CAN SEE THAT THE FORCE WAS TRANSFERRED FROM
ONE TO ANOTHER ALSO THE SYSTEM WAS CLOSED AND
ISOLATED THEREFORE, IN THE ELASTIC COLLISION
MOMENTUM IS CONSERVED.
 RECOMMENDATIONS

Clean the track.

Create least friction as possible.

Check the balance of the track as if it is

perfectly horizontal.

Try pushing the cart with similar force in

every trial.

Time the cart more efficient.

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WORK-LOG