2 Cars hitting each other

Wilmar Martinez, Madeleine Sellers, Sarah Miller

AMES Academy Department of Physics

December 1, 2015

ABSTRACT: We are trying to measure the momentum of two cars colliding

and prove that the sum of the initial momentum and the final momentum are
the same.

INTRODUCTION: We were instructed to go into the lab and observe two

magnetic cars colliding into each other. One of them was completely still and
the other one was accelerating towards the other one, and we dont know
the acceleration of the moving car. We had to solve for the acceleration of
the moving car and prove that the sum of the initial and final momentum are
the same.

THEORY:
Pi = Pf

V=D/T

P=M*V

If these equations are accurate then the information that we find should be
accurate as well.
We also got two times from the two time gates.
Time gate 1: 0.0152 seconds
Time gate 2: 0.0235 seconds

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS: To set up the experiment we had two photogates

set up on a straight track with a calculator to track the times it went through
the gates.

Above we have our initial and final illustrations and our work.

RESULTS: From the two photogates we had two different times, one for initial
and one for final: Photogate 1: 0.0152
Photogate 2: 0.0235
Vi= 0.658 m/s
Vf= 0.426 m/s