HELP PLEASEEE
The Momentum of Colliding Objects Lab
Objective: Observe and calculate the momentum of different balls. Compare the
results of collisions involving different amounts of momentum.
Background: In bowling, the ball’s momentum is very important. The bowler must ensure that the ball will travel toward the pins and not into the gutter. The size of the momentum also matters. If the momentum is too small, the ball will knock over very
few pins.
Materials: meter stick, softball, tennis ball, baseball, racquetball, masking tape, balance, stopwatch and trough
Safety: Goggles for eye safety & wash your hands when we are done
Procedures: Use the balance to measure the mass of the racquetball, tennis ball and baseball. Records them on your data table.
Measure a 2-meter distance on the floor, and mark it with two pieces of tape. Arrange the trough so that it begins at one line of tape and extends about a meter beyond the other line of tape.
Place the softball in the trough over the piece of tape. Starting from the other piece of tape, slowly roll the racquetball along the trough toward the softball.
Use a stopwatch to time how long it takes the racquetball to roll the 2-meter distance and hit the softball. Record on your data table.
Measure and record the distance that the softball moved
Repeat steps 3-5, rolling the racquetball quickly.
Repeat steps 3-5, rolling the tennis ball slowly and then quickly
Repeat steps 3-5, rolling the baseball slowly and then quickly.
Data Table must have
Action
Time
Velocity
Mass
Momentum
Distance Softball Moved
Racquetball rolled slowly
Racquetball rolled quickly
Tennis ball rolled slowly
Tennis ball rolled quickly
Baseball rolled slowly
Baseball rolled quickly
Analyze your Data:
Calculate the momentum of the rolled ball for each trial using the formula p = mv. Show your work below and record your answers on your data table.
Graph the relationship between the momentum of each ball and the distance that the softball moved. The s-axis should be momentum (kg.m/s), and the y-axis should be distance (meters). Attach your graph paper to your lab report.
By looking at the graph, what can you conclude about the relationship between the momentum of the colliding ball and the distance the softball moved?
Describe how an object’s velocity and mass affect the amount of momentum that it has?
Explain why bowling balls have such a large mass. What would happen if you tried to bowl with a ping pong ball? Explain
When you bowl, should you roll the ball gently? Explain your answer.
