Laws of collision / Air track or Demonstration track 1.3.05-01/05
What you can learn about
Conservation of momentum Conservation of energy Linear motion Velocity Elastic loss Elastic collision
Principle: The volocities of two gliders, moving without friction on an air-cushion track, are measured before and after collision, for both elastic and inelas- tic collision.
Set-up of experiment P2130505 with demo track
What you need:
Experiment P2130505 with demo track Experiment P2130501 with air track Air track rail 11202.17 1 Blower 13770.97 1 Pressure tube, l = 1.5 m 11205.01 1 Glider f. air track 11202.02 2 Screen with plug, l = 100 mm 11202.03 2 Tube with plug 11202.05 2 2 Needle with plug 11202.06 2 2 Fork with plug 11202.08 1 1 Rubber bands f. fork w/plug, 10 pcs 11202.09 1 1 Plate with plug 11202.10 1 1 Starter system, mechanical, with trigger 11202.13 1 Magnet with plug for starter system 11202.14 1 1 Elastic collision: calculated energies after the collision as functions of the Endholder for air track rail 11202.15 1 mass ratio of the gliders. Slotted weight, 10 g, black 02205.01 10 10 Slotted weight, 50 g, black 02206.01 6 6 Light barrier, compact 11207.20 2 2 Tasks: sion, the theoretical values of the Timer 4-4 13605.99 1 1 1. Elastic collision energy after the collision are plotted analogously to Task 1.3. Portable balance, CS2000 48892.00 1 1 1.1 The impulses of the two gliders In the process, the measured val- Barrel base 02006.55 2 as well as their sum after the ues are compared with the theo- Support rod -PASS-, square, l = 400 mm 02026.55 2 collision. For comparison the retical curves. mean value of the impulses of Right angle clamp -PASS- 02040.55 2 2. Inelastic collision the first glider is entered as a Demonstration Track, Aluminium, Length: 1.5 m 11305.00 1 horizontal line in the graph. 2.1 The impulse values are plotted as Cart, low friction sapphire bearings 11306.00 2 1.2 Their energies, in a manner anal- in Task 1.1. Starter system, mechanical, for demonstration track 11309.00 1 ogous to Task 1.1 2.2 The energy values are plotted as Weight for low friction cart, 400 g 11306.10 2 1.3 In accordance with the mean in Task 1.2. Shutter plate for low friction cart 11308.00 2 value of the measured impulse of 2.3 The theoretical and measured Holder for light barrier 11307.00 2 the first glider before the colli- impulse values are compared as sion, the theoretical values of the in Task 1.3. End holder for Demonstration track 11305.12 1 impulses for the two gliders are 2.4 As in Task 1.4, the theoretical an Connecting cord, l = 100 cm, red 07363.01 2 2 entered for a range of mass measured energy values are Connecting cord, l = 100 cm, yellow 07363.02 2 2 ratios from 0 to 3. For purposes compared. In order to clearly Connecting cord, l = 100 cm, blue 07363.04 2 2 of comparison the measuring illustrate the energy loss and its points (see 1.1) are plotted in the dependence on the mass ratios, Complete Equipment Set, Manual on CD-ROM included graph. the theoretical functions of the 1.4 In accordance with the mean total energy of both gliders and Laws of collision / value of the measured energy of the energy loss after the collision Air track or Demonstration track P21305 01/05 the first glider before the colli- are plotted.
PHYWE Systeme GmbH & Co. KG D - 37070 Gttingen Laboratory Experiments Physics 21 LEP Laws of Collision / Air track 1.3.05 -01
Related topics Barrel base 02006.55 2
Conservation of momentum, conservation of energy, linear Support rod -PASS-, square, l = 400 mm 02026.55 2 motion, velocity, elastic loss, elastic collision, inelastic collisi- Right angle clamp -PASS- 02040.55 2 on. Connecting cord, l = 1000 mm, red 07363.01 2 Connecting cord, l = 1000 mm, yellow 07363.02 2 Connecting cord, l = 1000 mm, blue 07363.04 2 Principle The volocities of two gliders, moving without friction on an air- Tasks cushion track, are measured before and after collision, for 1. Elastic collision both elastic and inelastic collision. A glider whose mass always remains unchanged collides with a second resting glider at a constant velocity. A meas- Equipment urement series, in which the velocities of the first glider Air track rail 11202.17 1 before the collision and the velocities of both gliders after it Blower 13770.97 1 are to be measured, is conducted by varying mass of the Pressure tube, l = 1.5 m 11205.01 1 resting glider. Glider f. air track 11202.02 2 Plot the following parameters as functions of the mass ratio Screen with plug, l = 100 mm 11202.03 2 of the gliders: Tube with plug 11202.05 2 Needle with plug 11202.06 2 1.1 The impulses of the two gliders as well as their sum Fork with plug 11202.08 1 after the collision. For comparison the mean value of Rubber bands f. fork w/plug, 10 pcs 11202.09 1 the impulses of the first glider is entered as a horizontal Plate with plug 11202.10 1 line in the graph. Starter system 11202.13 1 1.2 Their energies, in a manner analogous to Task 1.1 Magnet w. plug f. starter system 11202.14 1 Endholder for air track rail 11202.15 1 1.3 In accordance with the mean value of the measured Slotted weight, 10 g, black 02205.01 10 impulse of the first glider before the collision, the theo- Slotted weight, 50 g, black 02206.01 6 retical values of the impulses for the two gliders are Light barrier, compact 11207.20 2 entered for a range of mass ratios from 0 to 3. For pur- Timer 4-4 13605.99 1 poses of comparison the measuring points (see 1.1) are Portable balance, CS 2000 48892.00 1 plotted in the graph.
Fig. 1: Experimental set up for investigating the laws of collision.
PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen 21305-01 1 LEP 1.3.05 Laws of Collision / Air track -01
Fig. 2: Elastic collision: momenta after the collision as func- Fig. 4: Elastic collision: calculated momenta after the collision tions of the mass ratio of the gliders. as functions of the mass ratio of the gliders.
1.4 In accordance with the mean value of the measured 2.1 The impulse values are plotted as in Task 1.1. energy of the first glider before the collision, the theo- retical values of the energy after the collision are plot- 2.2 The energy values are plotted as in Task 1.2. ted analogously to Task 1.3. In the process, the meas- 2.3 The theoretical and measured impulse values are com- ured values are compared with the theoretical curves. pared as in Task 1.3. 2. Inelastic collision 2.4 As in Task 1.4, the theoretical an measured energy val- A glider, whose mass always remains unchanged, collides ues are compared. In order to clearly illustrate the ener- with a constant velocity with a second resting glider. A gy loss and its dependence on the mass ratios, the measurement series with different masses of the resting theoretical functions of the total energy of both gliders glider is performed: the velocities of the first glider before and the energy loss after the collision are plotted. the collision and those of both gliders, which have equal velocities, after it are to be measured. Set up and procedure The experimental set-up is performed as shown in Fig. 1. The starting device serves to start the glider; three defined and reproducible initial energies can be selected with the various latch positions. It is recommended that the second position be used for all measurements. The momentum is determined by measuring the velocity of the glider. For this purpose, the time during which the screen fit- ted on the glider impinges on the light barrier is used, in accor- dance with: s v t
(s = length of screen, t = shading time).
Connect the light barriers with input jacks 1 and 3 on the timer [connect jacks having the same colours (red and yellow) and the two earth (ground) jacks to each other]. Select the Collision experiments operating mode (2 double arrows printed on the front panel). In this mode, up to two shading periods are measured and displayed for each light barrier. When varying the mass ratios, ensure that the additional Fig. 3: Elastic collision: energy after the collision as functions masses are added symmetrically in each case. Before initiat- of the mass ratio of the gliders. ing the measurements, check the tracks adjustment.
2 21305-01 PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen LEP Laws of Collision / Air track 1.3.05 -01
Fig. 5: Elastic collision: calculated energies after the collision Fig. 7: Inelastic collision: energy after the collision as functions as functions of the mass ratio of the gliders. of the mass ratio of the gliders.
Theory and evaluation Due to the unidimensional sequence of movement, we will
In the elastic collision of two bodies having masses m1 and dispense with the vectorial notation. For a central elastic with m2, kinetic energy and momentum are conserved: p2 = 0:
m1 1 S2 p1 S2 p2 S'2 p1 S'2 p2 m1m2 m2 p'1 p p1 2m1 2m2 2m1 2m2 m1m2 1 m1 1 m2 S S S S p 1 p 2 p '1 p '2 , 2m2 2 p'2 p p1 m1m2 1 m1 where p1, p2 are the moments before the collision and p1', p2' 1 those after the collision. m2
Fig. 6: Inelastic collision: momenta after the collision as func- Fig. 8: Inelastic collision: calculated momenta after the collisi- tions of the mass ratio fo the gliders. on as functions of the mass ratio of the gliders.
PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen 21305-01 3 LEP 1.3.05 Laws of Collision / Air track -01
Fig. 9: Inelastic collision: claculated energies after the collision In an inelastic collision, only the momentum is conserved. In and energy loss as functions of the mass ratio of the addition, the velocities after the collision are equal: gliders. m1 p'1 p'2 m2
Therefore,
1 p'1 p1 m2 1 m1
1 p'2 p1 m1 1 m2
The following is obtained for the energies of the two gliders
after the collision:
1 E '1 E1 m2 2 a 1 b m1
1 m1 From the contribution of the impulse p, the energies E can be E '2 2 E1 m1 m2 calculated according to E = p2/2m: a 1 b m2
m1 2 1 The evaluation of a sample measurement (Fig. 6 and Fig. 7) m2 E '1 E1 shows that also for an inelastic collision, the total impulse is m1 1 conserved; whereas, depending on m1/m2, a substantial ener- m2 gy loss occurs.
4 m1 The theoretical curves are compared with the measured val-
E '1 E1 m1 2 m2 ues in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. In Fig. 9, the energy loss is addition- a 1 b ally plotted [energy loss = E1 (E1' + E2')]. One sees that for a m2 mass ratio of 1, the kinetic energy is reduced by exactly 50 %.
Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show the results for a sample measurement.
In particular, one can see that the total impulse and the total energy before and after the collision, except for a slight loss, are equal. The comparison of the measured values with the theoretical values according to the formulas given above, can be seen in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5.
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