Physics online lab-Attachment

PhET Collision Lab

Directions: Go to the website http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/collision-lab

Make sure the 1-d box is checked.

Part 1

Scenario #1:

Elastic collision between balls of equal mass

• Make a hypothesis about initial and final momentums before playing with the sim.

• Make a data table for the following: mass, velocity and momentum of each ball before and after.

• What is the relationship between the initial and final total momentums?

• Describe the motion of the balls before and after the collision?

Scenario #2:

Elastic collision between balls of unequal mass.

• Make a hypothesis about initial and final momentums before playing with the sim.

• Make a data table for the following: mass, velocity and momentum of each ball before and after.

• What is the relationship between the initial and final total momentums?

• Describe the motion of the balls before and after the collision?

Part 2

Create 3 more distinct scenarios in 1-d including one totally inelastic collision. Make a hypothesis whether or not each will follow conservation of momentum. Collect some data and prove or disprove your hypothesis.

Summary: Describe the main ideas learned in this activity regarding initial and final total momentum in 1-d collision

Type a lab report in the following format: (Less than 1pg is fine)

 Objective: State what you want to achieve in this experiment. A formal way to do

this is to state a question or hypothesis that you want to address.

 Method: You should include a summary of the lab procedure in your words; do

not merely copy what is in the manual. This section should demonstrate your

understanding of what exactly you measured and how you measured it.

 Data: In this section you should include the raw data you measured; generally, an

estimate of the error should accompany all measured values. Be sure to present

your data in an organized manner (e.g. a data table) and to include units.

 Data Analysis: In this section you will manipulate the data in order to help you

address your question or hypothesis. Usually this entails performing calculations

and/or creating graphs of the data.

 Uncertainty & Error: You cannot draw any final conclusions from your data

until you think carefully about how well you can trust your data and what factors

may have affected or biased it. Additionally, you must often propagate the error

from your measurements through your calculations and graphs.

 Conclusion: Finally, after all this work, go back and answer the question you

stated in the beginning. Does your data allow you to support or reject your

hypothesis, or is the data inconclusive? Also do you have anything you can

compare your results with (e.g. a value in the literature, a second measurement, a

measurement with a different method, other lab groups)? How well does it

compare to such a value?