Today we learned all about Momentum. Momentum (p) is a vector quantity and can be defined as mass times velocity. Its units are kg x m/s or kilograms-meters per second. The law of Conservation of Momentum (p) states that in a closed system, momentum of a system is always conserved, which pretty much means that momentum will not change over time in a system. We also learned about Impulse. Impulse is the change in momentum of the object or Force x Time. Therefore, force is equal to the change in momentum divided by the change in time, which makes Force and the change in time, inversely related.
The lab we did today used the air tracks and photogates once again. This time we attached rubber bands to the ends of each cart to study their collision. This type of collision is called, elastic collision. We used the photogates to detect the velocities of both carts before and after they collided and in different scenarios to understand collisions and momentum better. After collecting data, we used the different equations to find the total momentum for each cart in each scenario.
We also learned how airbags come out with a lot of force. That old lady showed him...
You explained everything so simply, and it's easy to understand. You also only talked about the important stuff, which is also very good, since I have a hard time doing so myself. Your explanation on the lab was also magnificent, as was the video of that old lady. I have decided to make her my new role model.
ReplyDeleteGood explanations of the unit. The video was a nice touch. If you wanted you could probably made a whole blog post on the airbag and how it relates to physics. Good Post Rachel!
ReplyDeleteAs always, that was a really concise summarization of the unit so far, and it was really clear. Also, really good explanation of how the lab related to the concepts we learned.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely love the video! My favorite
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