Lab report Zareeha James Introduction The goal of the lab is to experimentally confirm the conservation of linear momentum. In the lab, to test the principle of conservation of linear momentum, I slid a steel ball down a track, which, at the end of the track, collided into a hole in a wooden block and became embedded in the block. The block swung as a pendulum as a result of the impact. Finally, I was able to calculate and compare the linear momentum of the steel ball before and after the collision, to accomplish the goal of this lab. Procedure In the beginning of the lab, I tired to determine the velocity of the steel ball before the impact with the block. First, I made sure that nothing interfered with the projection of the steel ball by moving the block onto the platform. Second, I placed a strip of white, waxed paper to the floor of the box. Third, I released the steel ball from its highest point and let it roll down the track, until it falls into the box and leaves a mark on the waxed paper. Fourth, I determined the height, through which the ball falls. Data/ Calculations: Ball Drop Distance b (m) = 0.145 Uncertainty in b (m) = 0.001 Average r value (m) = 0.38 Uncertainty in r (m) = 0.01 h (m) = 0.42 Uncertainty h (m) = 0.001 Y (m) = 0.041 V (before impact) = 2.209 m/s V(after impact) = 0.896 m/s Relative difference = 6.08% Questions 1) How do multiple measurements of r change the uncertainty? The more repetitions you make of a measurement, the better the estimate will be. So, if you take the average of these measurements, you will have a more precise estimate. Thus, the uncertainty of r will decrease with multiple measurements. 2) Within the limits of your experimental accuracy, is momentum conserved during the collision? I believe, within the limits of my experimental accuracy, that momentum is conserved during the collision. I calculated the linear momentum of the system before and after impact, and got only a relative difference of 6.08% Conclusion Concluding the lab, according to my data from the experiment, I believe there is a conservation of linear momentum. I calculated that there is only a 6.08% relative difference in linear momentum of the ball/block system before and after impact.I also found the velocity of the ball/block system before impact to be 2.209 m/s and the velocity after impact to be 0.896 m/s. There could be some sources of error in my experiment,where I could have released the steel ball at different positions and miscalculated the value of r. I believe that I have gained an understanding of the conservation of linear momentum and proved it at the conclusion of this laboratory experiment
