Introductory Physics Laboratory Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum

Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
(Knight, Ch.9: 9.1, 9.2, 9.5; Ch.10: 10.3, 10.4; Ch.11: 11.1, 11.2, 11.3)
Introduction
There are a number of Conservation Laws in Natural Science, such as of Mass, Energy, Electric Charge,
Lepton Numbers, etc. In our common life, we face situations where the conservation of mass, energy or
momentum is demonstrated: i.e. during cooking, collisions, pendulum or quartz clock operation, and so on.
In this lab, you will observe Linear Momentum and Energy Conservation in one-dimensional (along a single
axis) collisions.
In an isolated mechanical system, the linear momentum and the energy of each interacting body may vary,

but the total linear momentum, P , and the total energy, E, do not change:

dP  dE
 0 or P  const and  0 or E=const (1)
dt dt
There are two different types of collisions: elastic and inelastic. To understand the difference between them,
it is necessary to consider a two-body impact as a deformation process, where the kinetic energy of the bodies
transforms into other forms of energy – generally, deformation, heat and sound. According to material
elasticity science, the potential energy of deformation can be transformed wholly or partially back to a kinetic
one. The remaining energy of deformation, as well as the energy conversion into heat and sound can be
regarded as a loss of kinetic energy. Loss-free collisions, where the energy losses during the colliding process
are small such that the total kinetic energy remains almost invariable, are called elastic. Inelastic collisions
occur when the losses of kinetic energy are not negligible. It is important to remember that in an isolated
system, the total energy incorporating all energy types is a constant.
One important feature of this experiment is the use of motion sensors to measure an object’s linear velocity.
The Pasco Motion Sensor is an ultrasound position sensor designed to measure linear position, velocity, and
acceleration. Capstone software does all of the recalculations between position, velocity, and acceleration.

Figure 1: Experiment Equipment

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
Introductory Physics Laboratory Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

Purpose
The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate quantitatively and graphically (on the graph) two
fundamental physical laws – linear momentum and energy conservation – in one-dimensional elastic and
inelastic collisions.
Equipment
Two Collision Carts with a magnetic bumper at one end (for elastic collision experiments) and a velcro bumper
at the other end (for inelastic collision experiments), extra masses, Dynamics Track, and Motion Sensor
measurement system for each cart (see Fig. 1).
Theory
Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
 
Consider the collision of two carts of masses m1 and m2 that move with velocities v 1 and v 2 respectively just
 
prior to the collision, and with v 1' and v '2 right after collision (Fig. 2). Notice that the directions of velocity
vectors in the figures are arbitrary. The total linear momentum of the mechanical system consisting of the two
 '
carts before P and after P collision can be represented as follows:
         
P  p1  p 2  m1v 1  m2 v 2 and P '  p1'  p2'  m1v '1  m2 v '2 (2)

The Law of Linear Momentum Conservation states that total momentum of isolated system (without external
forces) before the collision equals to total momentum of the system after the collision. Thus, for any type of
collision
   
m1v 1  m2 v 2  m1v 1'  m2 v '2 (3)

Figure 2: One-Dimensional Collisions in Two-Body System

Kinetic energies before, K, and after, K’, collision can be written as

2 2
m1v 12 m2 v 22 m1v 1' m v'
K  and K'   2 2 (4)
2 2 2 2
During an elastic collision, kinetic energy is converted to the potential energy of the deformation of bodies
involved into collision and back into kinetic energy as the carts bounce off one another. The carts accelerate
away from each other due to the action of elasticity forces restoring the deformed shapes of the bodies. Just
after the impact, when the acceleration reaches zero (deformation is restored), the situation is represented in
Fig.2a. In the case of an elastic collision, the kinetic energy is conserved, that is

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions 2
Introductory Physics Laboratory Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

2 2
m v2 m v2 m v' m v'
K  K or 1 1  2 2  1 1  2 2
'
(5)
2 2 2 2
In the case of a perfectly inelastic collision (that is shown in Fig.2b), the carts stick together after the collision
and move with velocity v '  v 1'  v '2 . In this case, the total linear momentum is conserved:
  
m1v 1  m2 v 2  m1  m2 v ' (6)

but, the kinetic energy, in the case of inelastic collision changes due to losses (conversion of the kinetic energy
into the heat or internal energy)

mv 12 m2 v 22 (m1  m 2 )v  2
  (7)
2 2 2
So, there is no law for conservation of the mechanical energy. On the contrary, the total energy (mechanical
plus internal) is conserved even in the case of inelastic collision.
In this lab, you are going to verify these relationships with carts of different mass colliding on a dynamics
track. Since a physical impact of the plastic or metal cart bumpers during the process of collision is usually
partially inelastic (scratches and small dents), to obtain a perfectly elastic collision you are going to use
magnetic bumpers of the carts. The repulsive forces between the different poles of permanent magnets do not
allow the carts to collide physically. This provides for an elastic collision because the only way to lose
mechanical energy in this case is through electromagnetic radiation and this can be neglected due to the small
cart’s acceleration. To get an inelastic collision, you are going to use cart bumpers equipped with Velcro pads.
In this case, the hooks and loops in the velcro pads stick the two carts together during the collision and this is
exactly what we need.
Coefficient of Restitution
There is a measure of the elasticity of the collision, called the coefficient of restitution, e:

(8)

that depends only on the elastic properties of the colliding objects. The coefficient of restitution is the ratio of
the differences in velocities after and before the collision, in other words, the difference in the velocities of
the two colliding objects after the collision, divided by the difference in their velocities before the collision.
A perfectly elastic collision has a coefficient of restitution of 1 (the difference after has the same magnitude
as the difference before). Example: two diamonds bouncing off each other. A perfectly plastic, or inelastic,
collision has e = 0 (objects move together after the collision). Example: two lumps of clay that don't bounce
at all but stick together. So, the coefficient of restitution will always be between zero and one (0 < e < 1).

Setup
Computer Setup
1. Plug two Motion Sensors into channels 1, 2 and 3, 4 of the 850 Interface respectively.
2. Plug the 850 Interface into the computer’s USB port. Turn on the 850 Interface.
3. Open Capstone software. Choose the Capstone configuration file entitled Linear Momentum.cap and
proceed with the following instructions.

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions 3
Introductory Physics Laboratory Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

Equipment Setup
The experiment setup is shown in Figure 4.
1. At the beginning, the carts should be labeled. In order to do this, Click Record in the Controls Palette.
Move the carts by hand one by one and identify which cart movement appears on which graph in the
Velocity window. Label the cart which movement corresponds to Linear Velocity1 graph (data comes from
sensor #1) as “Cart #1” and label the other one as “Cart #2” (data comes from sensor #2). Click Stop in
the Controls Palette to stop data collection. Check if velocities of both carts are both positive or both
negative when the carts are moved in the same direction. If this is not the case, it is necessary to switch the
sign of the motion sensor in the motion sensor settings box under Hardware Setup.
2. Level the track. To do this, place a cart on the track and see if the cart rolls one way or the other. Use the
leveling screw on the fixed end stop to raise or lower that end until the track is level and the cart will not
roll one way or the other on its own. Use a spirit level to check whether the track is as horizontal as possible.
Note: It is very important that the track is level to get the best results.

Figure 4: Experiment Setup

Procedure (Experimental Method)
You are going to measure the cart masses and velocities just before and right after a collision in three different
cases: perfectly elastic, perfectly inelastic, and partially inelastic collisions. After that, you will compare the
total system linear momenta and the total kinetic energy before and after the collision. And, finally, you are
going to calculate the restitution coefficients for all experiments that you have done and the collision time for
perfectly elastic collision only.
Perfectly Elastic Collision Experiments
You will take two runs (Runs #1-2) of data when one moving cart collides with another cart at rest.
1. Place the carts with the magnetic ends facing each other on the track as indicated in Figure 4. Both carts
have to be without any additional masses for Run 1.
2. Select the Velocity graph window in the Collisions.cap Capstone file.
3. Click Record in the Controls Palette to start recording data.
4. Gently push one cart and let it roll toward the other one.
Note: The force of the push should be sufficient to propel both carts after the collision, but not hard enough
to make the carts vibrate or jump of the track. A smooth motion will produce the best results.
5. Click Stop in the Controls Palette to stop data collection.
6. For Run 2, keep the moving cart empty and place an additional block on the cart at rest. Repeat steps 3-5.
7. Weigh the carts and record the correct cart masses for both runs (1 and 2) in Table 1.
Note: Do not forget to measure the block’s mass for an appropriate cart for Run 2.

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions 4
Introductory Physics Laboratory Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

Partially Inelastic Collision Experiments

You will take two runs (Runs #3-4) of data when one moving cart collides with another cart at rest.
1. Place the carts on the track as indicated in Figure 4, one with the Velcro pad facing the magnetic end of
the other. Both carts have to be without any additional masses for Run 3.
2. Select the Velocity graph window.
3. Start recording data.
4. Gently push the cart and let it roll toward the other one.
5. Stop recording data after the collision.
6. For Run 4, keep the moving cart empty and place an additional block on the cart at rest. Repeat steps 3-5.
7. Record the correct cart masses (with or without block) for both runs (3 and 4) in Table 1.
Perfectly Inelastic Collision Experiments
You will take two runs (Runs #5-6) of data when one moving cart collides with another cart at rest.
1. Place the carts with the Velcro pads facing each other on the track as indicated in Figure 4. Both carts
have to be without any additional masses for Run 5.
2. Select the Velocity graph window.
3. Start recording data.
4. Gently push the cart and let it roll toward the other one.
5. Stop recording data after the collision.
6. For Run 6, keep the moving cart empty and place an additional block on the cart at rest. Repeat steps 3-5.
7. Record the correct cart masses (with or without block) for both runs (5 and 6) in Table 1.
Analysis
Initial and Final Velocities and the Coefficient of Restitution
1. Select the Velocity graph window to make it active and click Data in the Toolbar to obtain the data
recorded during the experiment. Select Run #1. Click Scale axes to show all data to rescale the graph if
needed. You can see that the cart velocity decreases with time because of friction between the cart wheels
and the track and inside wheel bearings.
2. Select Velocity 1 graph. Click the Add a coordinates Tool button on the Toolbar of the graph window.
3. Select Velocity 2 graph. Click the Add a coordinates Tool button on the Toolbar of the graph window.
4. Use the cursors to measure (see Fig. 5 for details):
 the velocities of two carts, v1 and v2, just before the collision and the time, t1, when the collision began;
record the data in Table 1;
 the velocities of two carts v 1 and v '2 right after the collision and the time, t2, when the collision ended;
record the data in Table 1.
Table 1
Run # m1, kg m2, kg t1 , s v 1 , m/s v 2, m/s t2 , s v 1 , m/s v 2 , m/s e
1
…
6

5. Calculate the coefficient of restitution, e, according to Equation 8. Record its value in Table 1.
6. Repeat steps 1- 4 for all 6 runs.

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions 5
Introductory Physics Laboratory Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

7. Compare the obtained in the experiment restitution coefficient values with the expected values.

Figure 5: Measuring the time and velocities in Capstone software

Momentum and Kinetic Energy

1. Select the Total Momentum graph window and click Data on the Toolbar to obtain the data recorded
during the experiment. Select Run #1. Click Scale axes to show all data to rescale the graph if needed.
Since the momentum is not measured by the rotary motion sensors at once, we need to use the Calculator
Tool to represent the graph of the total momentum, P  m1v1  m2 v2 , versus time. For this reason, we
have to change the masses of the carts in the Calculator Tool every time they are changed. To do this,
click the Calculate button on the left panel. In the field “m1=” enter the cart #1 mass value (in kg, with or
without an additional block) and in the field “m2=” enter the cart #2 mass value (in kg, with or without
an additional block) corresponding to the given run number. Do not forget to do it every time you select
different runs. Do not forget that m1 is the mass of the cart #1 that draws the curve on the Velocity 1 graph
and m2 is the mass of the cart #2 that draws the curve on the Velocity 2 graph.
2. Click the Add a coordinates Tool button on the Toolbar of the graph window. Use the cursor to measure
the total momentum before (P) and after (P') the collision using the time at the beginning t1 and at the end
t2 of the collision for appropriate runs (get the time values from Table 1). Record data in Table 2.
3. Calculate a percent difference between the two values measured (% difference = 100%∙|P - P'|/P). Record
its value in Table 2.
4. Select the Total Kinetic Energy graph window and click Data on the Toolbar to obtain the data recorded
during the experiment. Select Run #1. Click Scale axes to show all data to rescale the graph if needed.
Since the total kinetic energy cannot be measured by the rotary motion sensors at once, we need to use
the Calculator Tool to represent the graph of the total kinetic energy, K  (m1v12  m2 v 22 ) / 2 , versus
time. For this reason, we have to change the masses of the carts in the Calculator Tool every time they
are changed. To do this, click the Calculate button on the left panel. In the field “m1=” enter the cart #1
mass value (in kg, with or without an additional block) and in the field “m2=” enter the cart #2 mass value
(in kg, with or without an additional block) corresponding to the given run number. Do not forget to do it
every time you choose different runs.

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions 6
Introductory Physics Laboratory Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

5. Click the Add a coordinates Tool button on the Toolbar of the graph window. Use the cursor to measure
the total kinetic energy before (K) and after (K’) the collision using the time at the beginning t1 and at the
end t2 of the collision for appropriate runs (get the time values from Table 1). Record data in Table 2.
6. Calculate the kinetic energy loss in the collision ∆K=100%∙|K - K|/K. Record its value in Table 2.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 for all 6 runs.
8. Analyze the changes in total linear momentum and total kinetic energy during the collision for each run.
Table 2

Run P, kgꞏm/s P', kgꞏm/s % difference K, kgꞏm2/s2 K', kgꞏm2/s2 Loss of Kinetic
# Energy, %
1
…
6

Make conclusions

Lab # IP-03: Energy and Linear Momentum Conservation in Elastic and Inelastic Collisions 7