Lab 3:


Two-Dimensional Momentum Conservation

Consider the multiflash photograph of a collision of two billiard balls. Assume that the time interval between flashes is .1 second. Do the measurements below reasonably carefully.

  1. Choose a coordinate system. (A clever choice will make the problem a little easier.)
  2. Determine the velocity vectors for each of the balls before and after the collision. Write the vector as both a magnitude and direction and in component form.
  3. Determine the momentum of the system before and after the collision. Write your answer as both a magnitude and direction and in component form.
  4. Is momentum conserved?


Library Books

In the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California, approximately 2 million books fell off the shelves at the Stanford University library. If you were the library administrator and wanted to hire enough part-time student labor to put the books back on the shelves in order in 2 weeks, how many students would you have to hire? (You may assume that the books just fell off the shelves and got a bit mixed up but books in different aisles did NOT get shuffled together.) From http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/fermi.html


Roller Coasters

  1. Take a look at the roller coaster apparatus. Answer the following questions before you start experimenting. Discuss as a group, and be sure to write down your hypotheses.
    1. At the end of which track will the ball be moving the fastest? Why?
    2. If a race were held, the ball in which track would get to the bottom the first? Why?
  2. Now experiment and see if your hypotheses were correct. Discuss.





[Dave] [Physics I] [COA]

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