Dynamics Mechanics

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-
tions of the mass ratio of the gliders.
1.4 In accordance with the mean value of the measured
energy of the first glider before the collision, the theo-
retical values of the energy after the collision are plot-
ted analogously to Task 1.3. In the process, the meas-
ured values are compared with the theoretical curves.
2. Inelastic collision
A glider, whose mass always remains unchanged, collides
with a constant velocity with a second resting glider. A
measurement series with different masses of the resting
glider is performed: the velocities of the first glider before
the collision and those of both gliders, which have equal
velocities, after it are to be measured.
Fig. 3: Elastic collision: energy after the collision as functions
of the mass ratio of the gliders.
2 21305-01 PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics
Fig. 4: Elastic collision: calculated momenta after the collision
as functions of the mass ratio of the gliders.
2.1 The impulse values are plotted as in Task 1.1.
2.2 The energy values are plotted as in Task 1.2.
2.3 The theoretical and measured impulse values are com-
pared as in Task 1.3.
2.4 As in Task 1.4, the theoretical an measured energy val-
ues are compared. In order to clearly illustrate the ener-
gy loss and its dependence on the mass ratios, the
theoretical functions of the total energy of both gliders
and the energy loss after the collision are plotted.
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
masses are added symmetrically in each case. Before initiat-
ing the measurements, check the tracks adjustment.
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.

4 21305-01 PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen