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Momentum Conservation in Cart Collisions

The lab investigated the conservation of momentum and energy during elastic, inelastic, and explosive cart collisions. Results showed that total momentum remained relatively constant across all tests, while kinetic energy was mostly conserved in elastic collisions but significantly lost in inelastic and explosive scenarios. Factors such as friction and energy conversion to heat or sound contributed to the discrepancies in energy measurements.

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rushwanthmahendran1
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4 views2 pages

Momentum Conservation in Cart Collisions

The lab investigated the conservation of momentum and energy during elastic, inelastic, and explosive cart collisions. Results showed that total momentum remained relatively constant across all tests, while kinetic energy was mostly conserved in elastic collisions but significantly lost in inelastic and explosive scenarios. Factors such as friction and energy conversion to heat or sound contributed to the discrepancies in energy measurements.

Uploaded by

rushwanthmahendran1
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Conservation of Momentum Lab

Rushwanth M.

January 21, 2026

1 Overview
The goal of this lab was to see if momentum and energy actually stay the same during different
types of cart crashes. We tested elastic (bouncing), inelastic (sticking), and explosions (pushing
apart).

2 Analysis (CER)
2.1 Q1. Comparison of Total Momentum
Claim: For all three tests:elastic, inelastic, and explosions,the total momentum of the system
stayed pretty much the same.
Evidence:
• Elastic: In Trial 2, our initial momentum was 0.273 kg·m/s and the final was 0.116 kg·m/s.
• Inelastic: In Trial 1, we started with 0.365 kg·m/s and ended with 0.354 kg·m/s.
• Explosions: In Trial 3, the starting momentum was 0.297 kg·m/s and the end was 0.283
kg·m/s.
Reasoning: Momentum is conserved because there were no major outside forces hitting the
carts. The reason the numbers aren’t exactly perfect (1.0 ratio) is because of things like friction on
the track and the track not being perfectly level, which slowed the carts down a little bit.

2.2 Q2. Comparison of Kinetic Energy


Claim: Kinetic energy stayed mostly the same when the carts bounced off each other, but we lost
a lot of it when they stuck together or exploded.
Evidence:
• Elastic: The energy ratio was 0.848 in Trial 2, so it barely lost any.
• Inelastic: The ratio dropped way down to 0.595 in Trial 2. Since we used the magnets to
attract and stick the carts together, we lost about 40% of the energy.
• Explosions: These had the biggest loss, like in Trial 5 where the ratio was only 0.323.
Reasoning: In elastic collisions, the magnets repel each other so the carts don’t actually touch,
which keeps the energy high. But for our inelastic tests, we used the magnets to make the carts
attract and stick. When they collide and stay together, a lot of the kinetic energy gets turned into
heat or sound, which is why the final energy is lower than what we started with.

1
3 Sample Math
3.1 Inelastic Collision (Trial 1)
Using m1 = 0.550 kg and m2 = 0.301 kg:
1. Total Momentum (p = mv):

Pinitial = (0.550)(0.626) + (0.301)(0.070) = 0.365 kg · m/s

2. Total Kinetic Energy (K = 12 mv 2 ):

1 1
Kinitial = (0.550)(0.626)2 + (0.301)(0.070)2 = 0.109 J
2 2

3.2 Explosion (Trial 3)


Using m1 = 0.425 kg and v = 0.698 m/s:
Total Initial Momentum:

pinitial = (0.425)(0.698) = 0.297 kg · m/s

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