Calculating Momentum & Energy for M1 & M2 Collision

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Homework Statement

3. Tabulate the data for your measurements. Include all the measured constants you used for calculations. Show in detail the calculations of V0, V1, and V2 for an elastic collision with
M1 = 200g and M2 = 300g.

4. Tabulate the data for momentum and kinetic energy (KE) and show in detail the
calculations of P0, P1, and P2 as well as KE0, KE1, and KE2, for an elastic collision with
M1 = 200g and M2 = 300g.

Homework Equations

Any equations that deal with momentum and energy like p=mv and .5mv^2=e

The Attempt at a Solution

Ok, for a start is #3 even possible? All you know is that m2 is at rest. I think you need to know at least one more velocity before you can find out the other values right? I think the best you can do is solve v0, v1 and v2 as part of an equation. But then if you can't solve it how do you do #4?

Thanks :)

 

[kuruman]

It all depends on what you measured. We cannot answer your question unless you tell us exactly what you did and how.

 

[kerimek]

Dear Student,

Thank you for your question. Yes, it is possible to calculate the velocities for an elastic collision with only the masses of the objects. This is because in an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. This means that the total momentum and total kinetic energy before the collision must be equal to the total momentum and kinetic energy after the collision. We can use this information to solve for the velocities.

To answer #3, we can use the equation for conservation of momentum, p1 + p2 = p3 + p4, where p1 and p2 are the initial momenta of the objects (M1 and M2 respectively) and p3 and p4 are the final momenta of the objects after the collision. Since M2 is at rest, its initial momentum is zero and we are left with p1 = p3 + p4. Similarly, we can use the equation for conservation of kinetic energy, ½m1v1^2 + ½m2v2^2 = ½m1v3^2 + ½m2v4^2. Since M2 is at rest, its initial kinetic energy is also zero and we are left with ½m1v1^2 = ½m1v3^2 + ½m2v4^2. We can use these two equations to solve for v3 and v4, which will give us the velocities after the collision.

To answer #4, we can use the velocities calculated in #3 to find the total momentum and kinetic energy before and after the collision. The total momentum before the collision (P0) is equal to the initial momenta of M1 and M2, while the total momentum after the collision (P1 and P2) is equal to the final momenta of M1 and M2. Similarly, the total kinetic energy before the collision (KE0) is equal to the initial kinetic energy of M1, while the total kinetic energy after the collision (KE1 and KE2) is equal to the final kinetic energy of M1 and M2. We can use the equations you mentioned, p=mv and ½mv^2=e, to calculate these values.

I hope this helps and clarifies any confusion. Please let me know if you need any further assistance. Good luck with your calculations!