1. Momentum is always conserved when collisions occur. Momentum is defined as being a quantity of motion, and it is a product of mass and velocity. A small object travelling with a high velocity has great momentum ( Ex. A bullet ), and a massive object travelling with a low velocity has great momentum (Continue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Conservation of Energy, Linear Momentum, and Angular Momentum During a Collision”
Tag Archives: elastic collisions
EQUILIBRIUM STATICS: Stationary and Moving Center of Mass Derivation
In physics, concepts like force, energy, and motion go hand-in-hand with one another. An unbalanced force will cause an object to accelerate. Equal and opposite force pairs will cause an object to remain at rest or maintain a constant velocity if it is already in motion. When an applied force causes an object or systemContinue reading “EQUILIBRIUM STATICS: Stationary and Moving Center of Mass Derivation”
GAS LAWS: Boltzmann Constant Derivation
An ideal gas is a gas that behaves as if the only significant interactions between its atoms occurs during elastic collisions. Under ideal conditions, intramolecular force interactions due to charged particles, as well as systemic losses due to entropy, are ignored. In addition to these subatomic interactions occurring within a specified quantity of space, thereContinue reading “GAS LAWS: Boltzmann Constant Derivation”
ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Conservation of Linear and Angular Momentum ( Part 1 )
Q: A ( 1kg ) ball of clay moving with a velocity ( vbi ) collides and sticks to the end of a ( 120cm ) rod of uniform mass ( 2kg ). Assuming that the ball and rod are at rest upon a frictionless surface: ( a ) Where is the new center ofContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Conservation of Linear and Angular Momentum ( Part 1 )”
ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Elastic Collisions and the Center of Mass Velocity ( Part 2 )
In Part 1 of this entry, it was determined that the center of mass between objects moving with constant velocities is also constant ( vcm ): We will now use mass ( kg ) and instantaneous-distance coordinates along ( x ) to determine the system’s center of mass. Let’s begin using the x-coordinates of (Continue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Elastic Collisions and the Center of Mass Velocity ( Part 2 )”
ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: What is the Initial Velocity of the Marble?
Q: A collision occurs between two marbles of equal mass ( m1 = m2 ). Marble ( m2 ) is initially at rest, and ( m1 ) travels with a velocity ( v1 ). After colliding, ( m2 ) acquires a velocity ( v2′y ) of 1.10 m/s and travels 400 from the original lineContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: What is the Initial Velocity of the Marble?”
ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Stacked Ball Drop, Impulse, and the Galilean Transformation
Q: Three balls of mass m1, m2, and m3 fall together towards the earth. They accelerate until impact, and once the three-ball system collides elastically with the earth’s surface, the balls within the system approach one another with an instantaneous velocity ( v ). The momentum ( p = mv ) = ( m1 +Continue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Stacked Ball Drop, Impulse, and the Galilean Transformation”
FORCE AND ACCELERATION: Systems of Torque and the Center of Mass
Thus far, physicists have not developed a concise definition of what constitutes mass and “ free space “. As a consequence, an overly simplistic definition of mass, albeit imperfect, may be used with convenience in laboratory settings. Mass, simply put, occupies free space. Relatively simple analyses of forces acting upon massive objects can be madeContinue reading “FORCE AND ACCELERATION: Systems of Torque and the Center of Mass”
ENERGY and MOMENTUM: What is the Final Velocity of the Ball?
Q: A 10 kg iron ball moves in an Eastward direction at 5.0 m/s. It collides with a 5.0 kg rubber ball moving Northward at 10 m/s. After the collision, the iron ball moves 60° East of North with a speed of 4.0 m/s. What is the velocity of the rubber ball after the collision?Continue reading “ENERGY and MOMENTUM: What is the Final Velocity of the Ball?”
ELASTIC COLLISIONS: Kinetic Energy, Momentum, Two Equations, and Two Unknown Variables
If a + b = c, and if b = e + f, then it’s also true that a + e + f = c. Any time a variable is common to two or more similar equations, solving one of the two equations will enable us to substitute the common variable into the remaining equation.Continue reading “ELASTIC COLLISIONS: Kinetic Energy, Momentum, Two Equations, and Two Unknown Variables”
RENAISSANCE PHYSICS 