NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

First Year Common Engineering Course

FE1073 Introduction to Engineering & Practices

Laboratory Manual
for
Experiment M2

CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM

Laboratory : Mechanics of Materials (MAE)

Location : N3.2-B2-01

Session 2016/2017
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NTU

1 INTRODUCTION

An attempt will be made here to demonstrate the principle of conservation of momentum

in collisions of sliding masses on an almost frictionless air track.

On the air track, a slider moving at a particular constant velocity collides with another
slider which is initially at rest. It will be shown experimentally that the total momentum
of the colliding sliders is the same before and after collision. The total momentum is
conserved only if there is no external force such as friction acting on the sliders. This
explains why the experiment has to be carried out on an air track which exerts almost
zero frictional force against the motion of the sliders.

Only one-dimensional collision in which the motion of the sliders is along a straight line
is examined here. If a slider whose mass is m moves with a constant velocity v, then its
momentum is mv. Note that v may be positive or negative depending on the direction of
the slider. If the one-dimensional velocity of a slider in a particular direction is taken to
be positive, then the velocity in the opposite direction is negative. Thus, the momentum
mv of the slider may be positive or negative.

A collision between bodies is termed elastic or inelastic depending on whether there is a

loss in the total kinetic energy of the bodies. If the total kinetic energy is conserved, the
collision is elastic. Otherwise, the collision is said to be inelastic. In the case of an
inelastic collision, the kinetic energy lost is converted into other forms such as heat
energy or work done in deforming the bodies.

Consider now a slider of mass m1 (slider 1) moving with constant velocity u1 (along a
straight line) before colliding with another slider of mass m2 (slider 2) which is initially
at rest. After the collision, the velocity of slider 1 is v1, while that of slider 2 is v2. If the
total momentum of the sliders is conserved, we would expect

m1u1 = m1v1 + m2 v 2 for one-dimensional collisions. (1)

An experimental verification of Eq. (1) will be carried out for two extreme types of
collisions: (a) elastic (or nearly elastic) collisions in which sliders 1 and 2 separate with
different velocities after colliding, and (b) completely inelastic collisions in which the
two sliders stick to each other and move with the same velocity after colliding (that is, v1
= v2 for completely inelastic collisions).

Exercise 1. If the collision between sliders 1 and 2 is elastic then

1
m1u12 = (2)
2

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Exercise 2. If the two sliders have equal mass and if their collision is elastic, use Eqs. (1)
and (2) to find the velocities of sliders 1 and 2, that is, to find v1 and v2 .

Exercise 3. For an elastic collision between two sliders, m1 and m2, let u1 and u2 be the
velocities before collision, v1 and v2 the velocities after collision. Determine the
velocities vi after collision in terms of the masses, mi, and the velocities before collision,
ui.

Exercise 4. For a completely inelastic collision, that is, for the case in which v1 = v2, use
Eq. (1) to show that the total kinetic energy of the sliders after the collision is definitely
less than the total kinetic energy before the collision. (Find a formula for the total kinetic
energy after the collision in terms of m1, m2 and u1.)

Exercise 5. The coefficient of restitution, denoted by e, is defined as the ratio of final to

initial relative velocity of the two sliders before and after the collision. Mathematically,
v −v
e= 2 1 (3)
u1 − u2
Determine the coefficient of restitution for elastic collision using the obtained results in
Exercise 3 and completely inelastic collision.

2 OBJECTIVE

After you have finished this experiment, you should have a better understanding of:

a. elastic and inelastic collisions,

b. conservation of momentum in both elastic and inelastic collisions,
c. kinetic energy of the system and its role in determining if a collision is elastic or
inelastic, and
d. the fact that the conservation of momentum is independent of the conservation of
energy, that is, some kinetic energy is lost in inelastic collisions but the total
momentum does not change (assuming that there is no external force involved).

3 OUTLINE OF EXPERIMENT

The tasks involved as described below.

a. Sliders of the same mass are used to verify that equation (1) is true for an elastic
collision independent of the velocity u1 of slider 1 before the collision.
b. Sliders having different masses are used to verify Eq. (1) for elastic collisions.
c. An arrangement is made to ensure that the sliders move together as one after the
collision in order to verify that Eq. (1) is true for inelastic collisions (in which v1
= v2).

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4 APPARATUS AND SET-UP

Apparatus

• 1 air track, connected to air supply

• Sliders, with bumpers for elastic and inelastic collisions
• 2 digital photo-gate timers
• Ruler
Setting up

Set up the experiment following closely the instructions given in the guide sheet on
your experiment bench. Switch on the air supply. Make sure that the air track is set
up horizontally so that the sliders will remain stationary when they are placed on the
track. If it is not, request the laboratory technician for assistance.

Position the sensors as shown in Figure 1. Switch on the digital photo timers.

Figure 1. Experimental set-up.

5 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

To avoid making excessive noise, always switch off the air supply when the air track is
not in use.

a. Elastic collisions of sliders having the same mass. Set up 2 sliders of (approximately)
equal mass with spring bumpers for elastic collisions. Place slider 1 at the start of the
track and slider 2 at rest between the sensors as shown in Figure 1. Push slider 1 to
collide with slider 2 and record the readings t A and tˆB on the counters of sensors A and
B respectively in Table 1. (Note that t A is the elapsed time taken for slider 1 to pass
sensor A before colliding with slider 2 and tˆB is the elapsed time taken for slider 2 to
pass sensor B after the collision.) Repeat the experiment two more times by giving slider
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1 different initial velocities (before it collides with slider 2). Observe what happens to
slider 1 after each collision. (Is your observation consistent with what you found out in
Exercise 2?)

b. Elastic collisions of sliders having different masses. Set up 2 sliders having different
masses with spring bumpers for elastic collisions. Choose the mass of slider 2 to be
about two times that of slider 1. Place slider 1 at the start of the track and slider 2 at rest
between the sensors as shown in Figure 1. Push slider 1 to collide with slider 2 and
record in Table 2 the elapsed time t A of slider 1 before collision (as recorded by the
counter of sensor A before the collision) and the elapsed times tˆA and tˆB of sliders 1 and
2 respectively after collision (as recorded by the counters of sensors A and B
respectively). Note the direction of the motion of slider 1 after the collision and
remember to take it into consideration when calculating the total momentum of the
sliders. Repeat the experiment two more times using different initial velocities of slider
1.

c. Inelastic collisions of sliders having different masses. Repeat the experiment described in
(b) above using the bumpers for inelastic collision instead of the spring bumpers. The
sliders should stick together after they collide. (Consult the laboratory technician if you
do not know how this can be done.) Record in Table 4 the readings t A and tˆB on the
counters of the sensors A and B respectively. Note there are two readings on the counter
of the sensor B because two sliders pass through this sensor respectively. Determine the
value of tˆB and record it on the log sheet. Discuss with your supervisor the method you
use for determining tˆB .

6 EVALUATION AND RESULTS

a. Elastic collisions of sliders having the same mass. Using the experimentally obtained
data recorded in Table 1, calculate the velocity of slider 1 before each of the collisions,
that is, u1 , and also the velocity of slider 2 after the collision, that is, v 2 . What can you
say about the values of u1 and v 2 obtained? What can you conclude about the total
momentum as well as the total kinetic energy of the sliders before and after the collision?

b. Elastic collisions of sliders having different masses. Using the experimentally obtained
data recorded in Table 2, calculate the velocities of the sliders before and after each of
the collisions. Complete Table 2. For each of the collisions recorded in Table 2, calculate
the total momentum as well the total kinetic energy of the sliders before and after the
collision and record your calculations in Table 3. What can you conclude from the
results?

c. Inelastic collisions of sliders having different masses. Using the experimentally obtained
data recorded in Table 4, calculate the velocities of the sliders before and after each of
the collisions. Complete Table 4. For each of the collisions recorded in Table 4, calculate

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the total momentum as well the total kinetic energy of the sliders before and after the
collision and record your calculations in Table 5. Is momentum conserved in each of the
collision? What about the kinetic energy?

7 REPORT

7.1 Log Sheet and Formal Report

a. What can you conclude from the results above?

b. What are the possible sources of error in the experiment?

c. From which Newton’s law(s) of motion is the principle of conservation of

momentum derived? Explain.

7.2 Formal Report Only

a. Include your answers to Exercises 1-5 above.

b. For the elastic collisions of sliders having different masses, use your results in the
last three columns of Table 2 to calculate the coefficient of restitution associated
with each case and the average coefficient of restitution. A theoretical prediction
of the coefficient of restitution is derived in Exercise 5 above. Compare the
experimental result with the theoretical one.

c. For the inelastic collisions in the last part of experiment, use your results in the
last column of Table 5 to calculate the average percentage of kinetic energy lost
after a collision. A theoretical prediction of the percentage of the kinetic energy
lost can also be derived using the formula for the kinetic energy after collision
obtained as in Exercise 4 above. Compare the experimental result with the
theoretical one.

d. How would you rewrite equation (1) for two- or three-dimensional collisions?

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NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

FIRST YEAR COMMON ENGINEERING COURSE

Experiment M2 : CONSERVATION OF LINEAR MOMENTUM

LOG SHEET

Name : Aaron Ong Wee Zheng Date : 24/9/20

Group : BL11 Submit to :
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(a) Elastic collisions of sliders having the same mass

mass of slider 1 = 0.3 kg mass of slider 2 = 0.3 kg

length of slider 1 = 0.18 m length of slider 2 = 0.18 m

t A (s) tˆB (s) u1 (m/s) v 2 (m/s)

0.1823 0.2046 0.9874 0.8798
0.1123 0.1276 1.6028 1.4107
0.1241 0.1425 1.4504 1.2632

Table 1. Results for elastic collisions of sliders having the same mass.

Note. The data and results for a particular collision are to be entered into a specific row of the
table, e.g. first row for the first collision.

(b) Elastic collisions of sliders having different masses.

mass of slider 1 = 0.3 kg mass of slider 2 = 0.45 kg

length of slider 1 = 0.18 m length of slider 2 = 0.288 m

t A (s) tˆA (s) tˆB (s) u1 (m/s) v1 (m/s) v 2 (m/s)

0.1308 0.9291 0.2699 1.3761 -0.1937 1.0671
0.1218 0.9117 0.2695 1.4778 -0.1974 1.0686
0.1096 1.0424 0.2396 1.6423 -0.1727 1.2020

Table 2. Results for elastic collisions of sliders having different masses.

p − pˆ E − Eˆ
p (Ns) p̂ (Ns) ×100% E (Nm) Ê (Nm) ×100%
p E
0.4128 0.4221 -2.2529 0.2840 0.2618 7.8269
0.4433 0.4217 4.8725 0.3276 0.2628 19.7802
0.4927 0.4891 0.7307 0.4046 0.3296 18.5368

Table 3. Total momentum and kinetic energy before and after collision.

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Notes. (1) The data and results for a particular collision are to be entered into a specific row
of the tables above, e.g. first row for the first collision. (2) In calculating the velocities in
Table 2, remember to take into consideration the directions of the sliders before and after the
collisions. Velocities in opposite directions should have opposite signs. (3) In Table 3, p and
p̂ denote respectively the total momentum before and after collision, while E and Ê
respectively the total kinetic energy before and after the collision.

(c) Inelastic collisions of sliders having different masses

mass of slider 1 = 0.3 kg mass of slider 2 = 0.45 kg

length of slider 1 = 0.18 m length of slider 2 = 0.288 m

t A (s) tˆB (s) u1 (ms−1) v1 = v 2 (ms−1)

0.2852 1.2533 0.6311 0.2298
0.3448 1.4451 0.5220 0.1993
0.2843 1.2810 0.6331 0.2248

Table 4. Inelastic collisions of sliders having different mass.

p − pˆ E − Eˆ
p (Ns) p̂ (Ns) ×100% E (Nm) Ê (Nm) ×100%
p E
0.1893 0.1724 8.9276 0.0597 0.0198 66.8342
0.1566 0.1495 4.5338 0.0409 0.0149 63.5697
0.1899 0.1686 11.2164 0.0601 0.0190 68.3860

Table 5. Total momentum and kinetic energy before and after collision.

Notes. (1) The data and results for a particular collision are to be entered into a specific row
of the tables above, e.g. first row for the first collision. (2) In this experiment, sliders 1 and 2
have the same velocity v1 = v 2 after the collision. (3) In Table 5, p and p̂ denote
respectively the total momentum before and after collision, while E and Ê respectively the
total kinetic energy before and after the collision.

Discussion:

(a) For elastic collision of sliders having the same mass, what happened to slider 1 after each of
the collisions?

Slider 1 stops after transferring its kinetic energy to Slider 2, which travelled at the same
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speed as Slider 1.
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(b) What can you conclude from your results concerning momentum transfer?

Momentum is conserved as the final and initial momentum of the sliders are similar,
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with small percentage error.

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(c) What can you conclude from your results concerning energy transfer? If energy is lost, what
happens to it?

Kinetic energy is completely transferred from Slider 1 to Slider 2 in elastic collisions

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(a) and (b). In inelastic collision (c), some kinetic energy is transferred to Slider 2 and
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some energy is lost to surroundings. Thus, Slider 1 will travel with Slider 2 after the
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collision.
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(d) According to the coefficient of restitution defined in Eq. (3) and the data in Table 2, calculate
the average coefficient of restitution? Is it reasonable?

The average coefficient of restitution is 你妈妈没有毛

0.8700 .
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It is reasonable as 你妈妈没有毛
0.8700 is close to 1, showing that it is an elastic collision.
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(e) What are the possible sources of error for the experiment? Give estimates for the percentage
errors involved.

Slider 1 did not stop immediately after transferring its kinetic energy to Slider 2, causing
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some energy to be lost in the process and momentum calculated to be inaccurate.

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The percentage error is 你妈妈没有毛

1.4300%. .
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(f) From which Newton’s law(s) of motion is the principle of conservation of momentum
derived? Explain.

Newton's 2nd Law. The net force is the rate of change of momentum, deriving F = m(dv/dt)
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from F = ma, if mass is constant. As linear momentum is defined as the product of a

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system's mass multiplied by its velocity, the net external force is equal to the change in
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momentum divided by the time over which it changes.

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