Big Question:
1. What is the difference between the amount of energy lost in an elastic Collision vs. inelastic Collision?
2. What is a better conserved quantity- momentum or energy?
Introduction:
This week for our lab a new concept was introduced! It was pretty interesting and somewhat difficult, and it was collisions with momentum. For the experiment we collided two carts in two different ways elastically and inelastically. We found the amount of energy that traveled in or out of the system as well as the tiny amount of momentum that went in or out of the system. After determining the percent error we were able to determine which was better conserved, energy or momentum.
Data: Attached is my group's consensual data as well as a snapshot of our computer screen when the experiment was performed
Post Lab Analysis:
The whole point of this lab is to see which is better conserved, momentum or energy. So we have to calculate the percent error of the two to determine that. Otherwise there is no point in doing this whole experiment (though it is pretty fun/cool). Here is the formula to calculate percent error:
{(Total Energy After - Total Energy Before) / Average of Total Energy Before and After} x 100
Here are pictures for each type of equation
Conclusion:
As these results blatantly show, momentum is WAYYYYYYYY more conserved than energy. This is because energy can be lost from friction, or heat. Momentum deals strictly with how far two colliding objects would go based on how fast they are going and their mass.
Real World Connection:
Immediately when I think of collision I think of rugby. My dad played rugby in college and almost went professional (until he had me, then he had to be a dad). In rugby you see nothing but collisions as some of the best athletes in the world tackle each other with perfect form. Attached is a cool video about the New Zealand All-Blacks pre-game ritual; the Haka
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