TITLE: Momentum Name

PURPOSE: To experimentally find the relationships between mass, velocity, and momentum. To look at the Law
of Conservation of Momentum.

INFORMATION
Momentum is defined as the product of the mass and velocity of an object. The formula being p = mv;
where p is momentum, m is mass (in kgs), and v is velocity (in m/s). A body with a large amount of momentum
will be harder to stop than a body with a smaller amount of momentum.
The Law of Conservation of Momentum states that the total momentum within a closed system will
remain constant. In this lab, the ball and the block are the system.

PROCEDURE

1) Find the mass of each of the three different balls. Place the small washer on the scale first, then “Tare” the
scale to take out this mass. This way the balls will not roll off the scale.

2) Place the block between the meter sticks with the back end of the block at the 7cm mark. Front end of block is
towards the ramp.

3) Place the small glass marble at the 25cm mark on the ramp. Release the marble so that it rolls down the ramp,
hits the block, and drives the block back along the meter sticks. If the block comes out from between the meter
sticks, do not count that as a trial and do it again. Measure how far back the block was driven. You want to
know how far it moved, not its ending point!

4) Return the block to its original position and repeat Step #3 two more times.

5) Repeat Steps 3 and 4 using the large glass marble, and then the golf ball.

6) Repeat Steps 3 – 5 except release the ball from the 50cm mark on the ramp.

DATA TABLE
@25cm @50cm

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Sm. Marble

Mass:
Lg. Marble

Mass:
Golf Ball

Mass:
QUESTIONS and CONCLUSIONS

1) What caused the balls to accelerate down the ramp?

2) If the balls started at the same height, rolled the same distance down the ramp, because of the same force,
what must be true about the VELOCITY of the three balls at the bottom of the ramp?

3) Which ball had the greatest momentum when released from 25cm?
What in your DATA supports this answer?

4) At 25cm, what type of relationship was there between mass and momentum?

5) Which made the difference in momentum between the three balls when they were all released from 25cm, the
VELOCITY or the MASS? Explain why you know it has to be the one you said.

6) Do the results you obtained from the three balls released at 50cm agree with the answers you gave to Ques. 3
and 4? Explain.

7) Did the balls have greater momentum when released at 25cm or at 50cm?
What in your DATA supports this answer?

8) Which made the difference in momentum when the same ball was released at 25cm and then at 50cm, the
VELOCITY or the MASS? Explain why you know it has to be the one you said.
9) When using one type of ball, what type of relationship was there between velocity and momentum?

10) Did the golf ball released at 25cm have momentum BEFORE it collided with the block? Explain your answer.

11) What was the momentum of the block BEFORE the collision with the golf ball? Explain your answer.

12) Did the momentum of the golf ball INCREASE or DECREASE after the collision with the block? (Circle one.)

13) Did the momentum of the block INCREASE or DECREASE after the collision with the ball? (Circle one.)

14) Assume that the golf ball released at 25cm accelerated for .50s. Calculate the final velocity of the ball at the
bottom of the ramp. (Remember proper units!)

15) Calculate the momentum of the golf ball released from 25cm just before it collided with the block.
(Remember proper units!)

16) What must the total momentum of the golf ball and block combined be AFTER the collision? Explain how you
know.