Lab 7 Physics I

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School

California Baptist University *

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Course

201

Subject

Chemistry

Date

Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by GrandGoose2704

PHY203-A Physics for Engineers II with Lab Lab 1: Buoyancy and Ideal Gas Law Prepared for: Dr. Grant Timothy Allec Bryan Luna College of Engineering California Baptist University 1-25-24

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to be introduced to the law of conservation of momentum by observing the behavior of two gliders as they collide with each other on a rail. The goal of this lab is to become familiar with the concepts of momentum and the overall idea that momentum is conserved when the net external force acting on an object is zero. This is achieved through calculations of the glider's collisions under different situations. This lab provides an opportunity for students to observe and measure the motion of objects in a controlled environment and demonstrate the principle of momentum conservation through experimental observations and calculations. Results: Question #1: If the glider collides with the end of the air track and rebounds with the same magnitude velocity but in the opposite direction, is the momentum of the glider conserved in such a collision? Why or why not? Explain. No, momentum will not be conserved. Let the glider move in the direction of +v , with Velocity V. Thus, momentum = + m*V. When the glider returns after colliding, Velocity is in the opposite direction , -v . This makes the momentum equal to -m*V .......... By the law of conservation of linear momentum, the " total Linear momentum is always conserved when the external force acting on the system is zero". Since, initial and final momentum varies in sign, the momentum of the body changes. MOMENTUM IS NOT CONSERVED. Generally, if the glider collides with the end of the air track and rebounds momentum would not be conserved. The energy/force that the glider put on the air track is equivalent to the force the air track puts back into the glider.

Question #2: Analyze your data and discuss any data trends. Was momentum conserved in your experiment? Why or why not? Explain. After analyzing the data, we concluded that momentum was generally conserved throughout the experiment. This is because the initial momentum is a close value to the initial momentum. These values are shown in the data table (page 2) and are verified by calculating the change in momentum for each run. This is shown in the data table in the change of momentum column. To find the change in momentum we use the following equations to determine the initial momentum and final momentum. = 1 + 2 = 1 1 + 2 2 𝒑⃗ 𝑖 𝒑⃗ 𝑖 𝒑⃗ 𝑖 𝑚 ⃗𝒗 𝑖 𝑚 ⃗𝒗 𝑖 = 1 + 2 = 1 1 + 2 2 𝒑⃗ 𝑓 𝒑⃗ 𝑓 𝒑⃗ 𝑓 𝑚 ⃗𝒗 𝑓 𝑚 ⃗𝒗 � After we found and , to find the change in momentum we find the difference between the final and 𝒑⃗ 𝑖 𝒑⃗ 𝑓 initial momentum. Then after this we found the percent error by dividing the change in momentum by the initial momentum and multiplying the dividend by 100. Through our data, the conservation of momentum is displayed in each of our runs 1-7. It is important to understand this important concept of physics and all of our calculations were accurate and complete with little error. Question #3: Analyze your experiment and discuss possible sources of error. Were certain runs better than others? Was there a preferred direction in which the collisions had better results? After analyzing the runs and theorizing potential sources of error it is inferred that the runs where two lab partners launch the gliders from opposite ends of the track and make them collide in the middle are the least accurate of the runs. This is because there are two different people who launch the glider at different speeds and slightly different times which can create a wide array of different outcomes. It is impossible to replicate data for these types of runs. Possible sources of error include: 1) The glider track system might not be frictionless. This can cause friction between the track and glider which can lead to error in measurements. 2) Glider track is not entirely level. This can lead to multiple discrepancies in the measurements. 3) Inaccurate measurements: The measurements taken during the lab could potentially be inaccurate. The mass of the gliders could be slightly off, etc.

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Question #4: Suppose the air track wasn’t level but tilted during the experiment. Would we measure the glider’s momentum being conserved? Why or why not? If the air track is tilted during the experiment, then the glider will experience a gravitational force in addition to the force from the air track. This is because the additional force can affect the momentum of the glider, and may cause the momentum to not be conserved. If the air track is tilted uphill the glider will have to work either with or against gravity to maintain its speed which would make the glider gain/lose momentum and kinetic energy. Conclusion: A first lesson on the concept of conservation of momentum is introduced. The lab helped give a basic understanding of the concept that momentum is not lost but transferred as the gliders collide on a rail. With proper attention paid to minimizing friction, ensuring accurate measurements, accounting for imperfectly elastic collisions, correctly aligning the glider track, ensuring proper experimental setup and avoiding human error, we obtained accurate and meaningful results that demonstrated the principle of conservation of momentum. Much of the concepts were straightforward and easy to understand. The tools provided during the lab to perform the various measurements were easily applied. Overall, this lab was a huge success and provided an impeccable representation of the law of conservation of momentum.