Lab Activity – Momentum Phet Activity
Name:
Physics
Date:
Part 1: Momentum Web Quest
Procedure A:
1. Open the Physics Animations folder, then open the “Collision Activity”
2. Click “1 Dimension” at the top.
3. Drag the green ball all the way to the right. Observe the “X”
4. What does the X represent?
5. Which ball must be more massive?
How do you know (other than the fact that it tells you at the bottom)
6. Hit Play and Observe the X, Pause it when the X changes direction.
7. What happened that made the X change direction?
8. If the velocity of X is supposed to be constant for any system, then why does speed and direction change?
9. Reset the animation. Click 1 Dimensional again. Click the button that says “More Data”
10. Drag the red ball all the way to the left, and the green ball all the way to the right.
11. Hit Play, but Hit Pause before the balls collide.
12. If you were an observer on the red ball, what would the velocity of green ball be relative to you (include a direction)?
13. If you were an observer on the green ball, what would the velocity of red ball be relative to you (include a direction)?
For all Calculations, Show Your Work. Used the data to check yourself.
14. Calculate:
The initial momentum of mass 1:
The initial momentum of mass 2:
Total initial momentum:
The initial kinetic energy of mass 1:
The initial kinetic energy of mass 2:
Total initial kinetic energy
15. Hit play again, but hit pause immediately after the collision (don’t allow a ball to hit a wall)
16. Calculate:
The final momentum of mass 1:
The final momentum of mass 2:
Total final momentum:
The final kinetic energy of mass 1:
The final kinetic energy of mass 2:
Total final kinetic energy:
17. What can you conclude about the momentums and kinetic energies of the system?
18. What type of collision is this (look up in chapter 10):
19. Reset, select 1 Dimension again, and set the elasticity = .50
20. Hit play and pause before and immediately after the collision (don’t allow a ball to hit a wall)
21. Calculate:
The initial momentum of mass 1:
The initial momentum of mass 2:
Total initial momentum:
The initial kinetic energy of mass 1:
The initial kinetic energy of mass 2:
Total initial kinetic energy:
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
The final momentum of mass 1:
The final momentum of mass 2:
Total final momentum:
The final kinetic energy of mass 1:
The final kinetic energy of mass 2:
Total final kinetic energy:
What can you conclude about the momentums and kinetic energies of the system?
What type of collision is this (look up in chapter 10):
Reset, select 1 Dimension, and set the elasticity = .50
Hit play and pause before and immediately after the collision (don’t allow a ball to hit a wall)
Calculate:
The initial momentum of mass 1:
The initial momentum of mass 2:
Total initial momentum:
The initial kinetic energy of mass 1:
The initial kinetic energy of mass 2:
Total initial kinetic energy:
The final momentum of mass 1 and 2 together:
The final kinetic energy of mass 1 and 2 together:
27. What can you conclude about the momentums and kinetic energies of the system?
28. What type of collision is this (look up in chapter 10):
Procedure B:
1. Reset the Collision WebQuest, but leave 2 Dimensions checked.
2. Hit Play, but pause before the collision.
For all Calculations, Show Your Work. Used the data to check yourself.
3. Calculate:
The initial x momentum of mass 1:
The initial x momentum of mass 2:
The initial y momentum of mass 1:
The initial y momentum of mass 2:
The total initial momentum in unit vector notation is:
4. Predict what the velocity of mass 1 will be after the collision with mass 2 relative to the velocity of mass 2. (smaller, larger, or
same?)
5. Hit Play and pause immediately after the collision
6. Calculate:
The final x momentum of mass 1:
The final x momentum of mass 2:
The final y momentum of mass 1:
The final y momentum of mass 2:
The total final momentum in unit vector notation is:
The final magnitude of the velocity of mass 1:
The final magnitude of the velocity of mass 2:
7. Compare the final and initial momenta.
8. Compare the final velocities of mass 1 and mass 2. Explain why they are what they are.
Procedure C:
In your own words, explain FIVE (5) of the following standards so an eighth grader would understand.
I. Newtonian Mechanics
D. Systems of particles, linear momentum
1. Center of mass
a) Students should understand the technique for finding center of mass, so they can:
(1) Identify by inspection the center of mass of a symmetrical object.
(2) Locate the center of mass of a system consisting of two such objects.
b) Students should be able to understand and apply the relation between center-of-mass velocity and linear momentum, and
between center-of-mass acceleration and net external force for a system of particles.
c) Students should be able to define center of gravity and to use this concept to express the gravitational potential energy of a
rigid object in terms of the position of its center of mass.
2. Impulse and momentum Students should understand impulse and linear momentum, so they can:
a) Relate mass, velocity, and linear momentum for a moving object, and calculate the total linear momentum of a system of
objects.
b) Relate impulse to the change in linear momentum and the average force acting on an object.
c) Calculate the area under a force versus time graph and relate it to the change in momentum of an object.
3. Conservation of linear momentum, collisions
a) Students should understand linear momentum conservation, so they can:
(1) Explain how linear momentum conservation follows as a consequence of Newton’s Third Law for an isolated system.
(2) Identify situations in which linear momentum, or a component of the linear momentum vector, is conserved.
(3) Apply linear momentum conservation to one-dimensional elastic and inelastic collisions and two-dimensional
completely inelastic collisions.
(4) Apply linear momentum conservation to two-dimensional elastic and inelastic collisions.
(5) Analyze situations in which two or more objects are pushed apart by a spring or other agency, and calculate how much
energy is released in such a process.
b) Students should understand frames of reference, so they can:
(1) Analyze the uniform motion of an object relative to a moving medium such as a flowing stream.
(2) Analyze the motion of particles relative to a frame of reference that is accelerating horizontally or vertically at a
uniform rate.
WHEN FINISHED TURN IN TO THE Student W Folder - Ewoldsen