lab 10- feedback
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Pace University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
150
Subject
Astronomy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
13
Uploaded by aidabozulan
NAME:______________________________________________________________________
INVESTIGATION OF IMPACT CRATERING
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the lab is to determine how impact craters are formed and what variables
determine the size and shape of the craters.
INTRODUCTION
What is an impact crater?
An impact crater is a roughly circular, hollowed out hole made by an impact event. The circular shape is due to all the material being pushed out as a result of the explosion upon impact. Most impactors are not spherical or have a circular shape. The force of the object hitting the surface causes the circular shape. Craters are the most common surface features on
many of the terrestrial planets and our moon. What happens when an impactor hits?
When an impactor hits the surface of a planet, the energy from that collision will produce
a shockwave. The shockwave fractures the rock and excavates a large hole, larger than the impactor. The impact will eject material from all directions we refer as ejecta. The impactor itself shatters into smaller pieces, may melt, or vaporize. Major parts of a crater:
1
Some common terms
Different kinds of craters you may see:
2
PROCEDURE
1.
Pick your three spherical objects.
2.
Measure the diameter of the object. The diameter is the length of the sphere. 3.
Weigh the spherical object
4.
In the baking pan, make sure floor is covering the bottom of the pan (5 to 10 cm thick). 5.
Cover the flour layers with dark powder (cocoa powder)
6.
Put the bottom of the yardstick/meter stick in the pan, so it is vertical.
7.
Drop the spherical object from the specific height. 8.
Measure the diameter of crater that the object left behind. Record your observations of what it looked like.
9.
Repeat the dropping the object from this specific height 2 more times.
10. If the pan does not have any more space from all the craters, take a fork and comb the flour and cocoa powder until it is smooth. If needed you can add more cocoa powder.
11. Repeat steps 7 to 9 for each distance and for each spherical object.
12. Record your observations in the Data section.
13. After recording all your data, please calculate the rest of your data. CALCULATIONS: 1.
How to convert Units (m = meters, cm = centimeters, kg = kilogram, g = gram, mL = milliliter)
a.
1 m = 100 cm
b.
1 kg = 1000 g
c.
1 cm
3
= 1 mL
2.
How to calculate the Volume of the sphere
a.
V
sphere
= 4/3 πr
3
3.
How to calculate Density
a.
Density = mass/volume; ρ = m/v
4.
How to calculate Velocity
5.
How to calculate Kinetic Energy
a.
Kinetic Energy = ½ mv
2
3
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
BEFORE YOU START:
1.
Will the distance affect the size of the crater? If so, how will it affect it?
Yes, the distance will affect the size of the crater. The closer an object is to the surface, the bigger the crater it can create. When something impacts a surface from a closer distance, it has more energy and force, which results in a larger and more significant crater. So, the closer the impact, the larger the crater it can make.
2.
Will the distance affect the speed the object will move? If so, how will it affect it?
Yes, the distance can affect the speed an object will move. If you increase the distance an object needs to travel, it may take more time to cover that distance. So, the object's speed might appear slower over a longer distance, but the actual speed (how fast it's moving) stays the same. If you reduce the distance, it may seem to move faster because
it covers that shorter distance in less time, but again, its actual speed remains unchanged.
3.
Which object will produce the biggest craters? Explain why?
Objects with the most mass and speed will produce the biggest craters. More mass means there's more stuff hitting the ground, and more speed means it hits harder. So, something big and fast creates the largest craters.
4.
Which object will produce the smallest craters? Explain why?
Smaller objects will produce the smallest craters because they have less energy and mass when they collide
4
with a surface. So, the impact from smaller objects is not strong enough to create large craters.
DATA.
Object #1_Blue marble_____________________
Diameter = _____2.4______ cm
Mass of the object: _20.54_____ g = ___0.02054___________ kg
Density: _____13.44__________g/cm
3
Table#1 – The diameter of the surface
Distance
Trial 1 (cm)
Trial 2 (cm)
Trial 3 (cm)
Average (cm)
Average (m)
20 cm
2.5
3
2.5
2.666
0.02666
40 cm
3.5
2
2.5
2.666
0.02666
80 cm
3
3.5
3
3.166
0.03166
100 cm
2.5
3.7
3
3.066
0.03066
Table#2 – Velocity and Kinetic Energy of the ball hitting the surface Distance
Velocity (m/s)
Kinetic Energy
(Joules)
5
20 cm
19.7989
4.025803451
40 cm
28
8.05168
80 cm
39.597
16.10256314
100 cm
44.2718
20.12912067
1.
What did the crater look like? Was it circular or elongated? Did the crater have ejecta or
rays?
NA
2.
What did you notice as you increased the distance?
NA
3.
How did the ejecta and rays look as you increased the distance?
NA
Object #2_____Silver marble_______________________
Diameter = __2___________ cm
Mass of the object: __45_______ g = ______0.045________ kg
Volume of object: _____8__________cm
3
Density: ________5.625_______g/cm
3
6
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Table#1 – The diameter of the surface
Distance
Trial 1 (cm)
Trial 2 (cm)
Trial 3 (cm)
Average (cm)
Average (m)
20 cm
2.5
2.2
2.5
2.4
0.024
40 cm
2
3.2
3
2.73
0.0273
80 cm
3
2.7
3
2.9
0.029
100 cm
2.5
3
2.5
2.66
0.0266
Table#2 – Velocity and Kinetic Energy of the ball hitting the surface Distance
Velocity (m/s)
Kinetic Energy
(Joules)
20 cm
19.7989
8.8199199272
2
40 cm
28
17.64
80 cm
39.597
35.2782542
100 cm
44.2718
44.09982619
1.
What did the crater look like? Was it circular or elongated? Did the crater have ejecta or
rays?
2.
NA
3.
What did you notice as you increased the distance?
NA
7
4.
How did the ejecta and rays look as you increased the distance?
NA
Object #3______Small marble__________________________
Diameter = ___1____ cm
Mass of the object: ___5______ g = ________0.005______ kg
Volume of object: _________1______cm
3
Density: ______5/1_________g/cm
3
Table#1 – The diameter of the surface
Distance
Trial 1 (cm)
Trial 2 (cm)
Trial 3 (cm)
Average (cm)
Average (m)
20 cm
1.5
1.5
1.3
40 cm
2
1.5
1.2
80 cm
1.4
1
1.5
100 cm
1.2
1.5
1.5
Table#2 – Velocity and Kinetic Energy of the ball hitting the surface Distance
Velocity (m/s)
Kinetic Energy
(Joules)
20 cm
19.7989
0.9799911030
2
40 cm
28
1.96
8
80 cm
39.597
3.919806023
100 cm
44.2718
4.899980688
1.
What did the crater look like? Was it circular or elongated? Did the crater have ejecta or
rays?
2.
NA
3.
What did you notice as you increased the distance?
NA
4.
How did the ejecta and rays look as you increased the distance?
NA
QUESTIONS
1.
How did the size of the impact object affect the size of the crater? How did it affect the ejecta rays?
9
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Bigger impact objects create larger craters. Just like a bigger hammer leaves a bigger dent, a larger object carries more energy and digs a deeper and wider hole in the ground
when it hits.
The size of the impact object also influences the spread of ejecta rays, which are the bits
of debris thrown out from the impact site. A larger object can send debris over a wider area, creating longer and more pronounced ejecta rays. It's similar to how a bigger explosion sends debris flying farther
2.
How did the density of the impact object affect the size of the crater? Did this affect the ejecta rays?
If the impact object is denser (has more mass for its size), it can create a larger and deeper crater because it carries more kinetic energy and can penetrate the surface more effectively.
The density of the object also affects the ejecta rays. A denser impact object can generate more
ejecta material, and the ejecta rays can extend farther from the crater, creating a more extensive pattern of material thrown out from the impact site.
3.
Do the bigger craters have more rays around them?
Yes, bigger craters are more likely to have more rays surrounding them as a result of the greater
energy and material involved in the impact.
10
4.
How do the diameters of the craters compare to the diameters of the impact objects? Are
they bigger/smaller/same size?
The diameters of the craters are generally bigger than the diameters of the impact objects. When an object collides with a surface, it releases a lot of energy that causes the material at the
impact site to be pushed outward, creating a larger hole or crater. It’s like dropping a pebble into
water – the ripples and splashes make the circle in the water bigger than the pebble itself. Similarly, when objects hit the ground, they create larger craters because of the energy they release upon impact.
5.
What happened to the cocoa as the impact object was dropped?
Dropping the cocoa bean resulted in the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy, an impact that deformed the bean and the surface, and the production of sound and vibrations.
6.
Was the flour visible at any time during the investigation i.e. in some impacts, or all impacts or none?
The visibility of flour during the investigation depended on the specific impacts. In some cases, the flour was visible, meaning you could see it. In other impacts, the flour was not visible at all. It
varied from one situation to another, and there was no consistent pattern of visibility.
7.
What does this investigation tell us about craters on the surfaces of planets?
11
8.
How could this investigation be improved?
It needs to be updates or at least being provided with a video of the investigation.
9.
What were the main sources of error in the investigation? How can these be minimized?
NA
10. Does Kinetic Energy (K.E.) affect the size of the craters made? If so, how?
Yes, kinetic energy (K.E.) affects the size of craters. The more kinetic energy an object has (which depends on its mass and speed), the bigger the crater it will make when it hits a surface. So, higher K.E. means larger craters. It's like how a fast and heavy object makes a bigger dent when it hits something.
11. Were the results as expected? Did they match any predictions you made prior to carrying out the investigation?
NA
12
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Sources
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/473315main_The%20Scientific%20Method%20DLN%20Module.pdf
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/shaping_the_planets/impact-cratering/
https://lco.global/education/activity/craters-classroom/
13