Tag Archives: momentum

In this activity, you will investigate the effect that stopping time has on stopping force when momentum changes. Allowing an object to keep moving as it is being caught extends the stopping time which in turns reduces the force acting on the object. In this lab students will put this theory to the test as they throw an egg to another student who must catch it with only their bare hands from an increasing distance. Who will figure out the principals of impulse and who will end up with egg on their face?

Students love fast moving experiments, but higher speeds often require higher technology. That can challenge the budget and students' ability to use the technology. These simple, but highly accurate photogates remove both barriers. No costly computers are needed, and set up is easy. Students literally ‘get up to speed’ fast!

In this lab using an Air Track, students will investigate elastic and inelastic collisions on an air track. Evaluate conservation of momentum and energy.

The Bouncing Dart is a specially designed pendulum with one elastic end and one inelastic end. Students will collide each end with a massive (1kg or more) cart, observing the pendulum's motion and measuring the distance the cart moves. They will conclude that elastic collisions transfer more momentum.

Chapter 8 Lab #25: Students will use elastic and inelastic collisions to investigate momentum.

Chapter 8 Lab #24:
Purpose: To investigate the momentum changes when two balls collide.