Worksheet Lab #8
Driving Question
How is the total linear momentum and kinetic energy of a two-object system affected by a collision?
Objective
Experimentally demonstrate that linear momentum and kinetic energy are conserved in an elastic
collision, and that linear momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not conserved in an inelastic
collision.
It is your group's responsibility to design and conduct an experiment whose data will support your
answer to the question above.
Before starting, answer the guiding questions below. These question will help guide you during your
experiment design.
Write an outline of the equipment setup and procedure you will use to collect data. Be sure to properly
label and order the steps you will use to complete the experiment. Identify when each piece of
equipment that you will be using.
Guiding questions
The following questions should not be answered in a yes/no format (remember these are here to guide
your design):
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When choosing two objects that will collide, should you be concerned about whether the two
objects are rigid?
Should the objects be the same size and have the same mass?
A perfectly elastic collision is nearly impossible to achieve in real life. How could you produce a
(relatively) perfect elastic collision between two objects with the equipment provided?
How can you do this for an inelastic collision?
How do you plan to determine the momentum of the system before and after each collision?
What quantities can you measure? What are the tools you have available to measure each of
these quantities?
How do you plan to determine the kinetic energy of the system before and after each collision?
What quantities can you measure? What are the tools you have available to measure each of
these quantities?
Will your setup and procedure be the same for both elastic and inelastic collisions?
Write your lab report.
1
𝐾𝐸 = 2 𝑚𝑣 2
𝑝⃗ = 𝑚𝑣⃗