Alyami 1

Fahd Alyami

Prof. Leonard Khaza

Physics III

Date: 05/11/2012

Collision lab report

Conclusion

The analysis of collision in any isolated system greatly depends on whether the impact is

elastic or inelastic. As much as momentum is conserved in all collisions, the two principles of

conservation; conservation of energy and conservation of momentum have to be upheld to satisfy

this universally. The inelasticity of any system ranges from almost elastic to perfectly inelastic.

This is because of the forces, however minimal, acting on it. An example of such forces is

friction (between the air and the gliders) in our experimental system. The transition of kinetic

momentum is never perfect; some energy is lost along the way but in most elastic collisions this

energy is conserved while this energy is converted into other forms of energy for example sound

and light during an inelastic collision.

Using the experiment and the information from the calculations I have worked out, I have

concluded that Run one; the carts produced on motion at all after impact. This was because the

momentums of both carts cancelled each other out. This means that the calculated momentum of

the cart (M1) was equal to the mass of cart (M2) at rest. This collision is inelastic because

momentum is not conserved.

The carts were motional for run 2 however, one was left stationary while the other

repelled after collision. This is still an inelastic collision because the momentum of one cart was

Alyami 2

enough to cancel out the impact on the other cart and even so to propel the said cart in the

opposite direction. However, in run 3, both carts moved together in same direction because the

momentum of one cart cancelled out the momentum of the other and move together. This is an

elastic collision because the kinetic energy after collision is conserved.