Momentum and Impulse Lab
Claim:
- The scenario that produced the largest change in momentum is the plunger car.
- The change in momentum and impulse can be calculated using a velocity time graph in several ways. Momentum is the factor of mass and velocity. So, if the velocity changes then acceleration will occur and that will be shown on the velocity time graph. Momentum and impulse are directly connected/equaled to each other and because of that, the impulse and momentum graphs are also equal to each other. When velocity changes, the graph will show a curved line, either going upward or downwards (increasing or decreasing).
Evidence:
Car 1: Velcro
Velcro Car M (kg) V1 (m/s) v2 (m/s)
Trial 1 .514 .875 0
Trial 2 .514 .895 0
Average .514 .881 0
Car 2: Plunger
Plunger Car M (kg) V1 (m/s) V2 (m/s)
Trial 1 .514 .882 -.6003
Trial 2 .514 .875 -.7109
Average .514 .881 -.6310
Click: GRAPH - To view a document with the Velcro and plunger cart graphs.
Explanation:
There are total of four graphs that support the two different car’s momentum and impulse throughout this lab. Due to a few circumstances, there are only two available at this moment. Anyway, the velcro car represents an inelastic collision because after it attached directly to the velcro located at the end of the ramp. The plunger car on the other hand, represented an elastic collision because after releasing the car, it rebounded. Meaning, once it collides with the end barrier of the ramp, it bounces backwards and forwards a couple of times. Looking at the graphs above, I realise that the plunger car takes more time to stop than the velcro car. Not only that, but the velcro car’s graph seems to have less fluctuations in velocity than the plunger car’s graph. A few crucial observations I have made was that momentum and impulse are vector quantities, meaning they both can have a negative direction. So, when looking at the tables above, it is clear that the velcro car is positive and the plunger car is negative. As a result, these graphs show two totally different collisions (elastic and inelastic).
Human Errors and Solutions:
As a human being, there are bound to be some mistakes. I would be lying if I say that I finished this mini lab with ease. Firstly, someone had to hold the ramp or else it would jerk when the car collided with the end barrier. In result of that error, the graphs didn’t come out as accurate as I would’ve liked. So, our first solution was to simply redo the experiment, only with someone holding the ramp in place. Secondly, everyone has to have a part in this lab experiment. Due to the lack of attention, some experiments failed because someone wasn’t ready to hit the graph recording button. A simple solution was to time each other by counting down: 3, 2, 1, go! These were the only two errors faced in the experiment and hopefully in the future it won’t happen again.
Reasoning:
As I’ve mentioned before, the car with greater momentum/impulse was the plunger car. In this lab I’ve used the momentum formula to calculate certain information (P=m(v)). However, I also kept in mind that momentum is always conserved, thus we get elastic and inelastic collisions. The plunger car represented an elastic collision, while the velcro car represented an inelastic collision. Furthermore, scientific phenomenons included momentum, impulse, mass and velocity. Real life events also relate towards this lab. Some such as a game of pool, bowling or bumper cars. Finally, if I were to do a similar lab like this one in the future I would research and communicate more with my teammates to get a second opinion. Not only that, but correctly collecting accurate data and organizing in an appropriate way would definitely help me in the future.