Objectives • observe collisions between two carts, testing for the conservation of momentum. • measure energy changes during different types of collisions. • classify collisions as elastic, partially inelastic, or totally inelastic.
materials computers vernier computer interface air track logger pro two vernier motion detectors two low-friction air track carts with rubber-band and cork-and-spike attachments
suppose you have a mystery object of unknown mass (but in the 50-200 gram range). you have all of the equipment from today’s lab, but you don’t have any kind of scale or balance for measuring mass. you do remember, however, that the black carts that glide along the air track have a mass of roughly 190 grams. how could you use the equipment and methods of this lab to determine the mystery mass value? describe in detail your proposed experiment, as well as the mathematical calculations needed in order to arrive at the desired result.