Could you please check my answers and help me with some?
1. What does it mean to say a physical quantity is conserved? Why is this idea useful? (I don't understand how it is useful)
-When a physical quantity is conserved it means that it doesn’t change.
2. A 2 kg ball of putty moving to the right at 3m/s has a head-on inelastic collision with a 1 kg ball of putty moving to the left at 3m/s. What is the final magnitude and direction of the velocity of the stuck together balls after the collision?
-This is what I have and I am not too sure what to do next.
m1v1 +m2v2= (m1+m2)u2
(2kg)(3m/s) + (1kg)(3/s)= (2kg +1kg)u2
3.Name some quantities, other than momentum, that are commonly considered to be conserved. Explain what a conservation law is.
-Some other quantities other than momentum that are commonly considered to be conserver are energy, mass, and matter. A conservation law is where the measurable property of an isolated physical system does not change as the system evolves.
The idea of conservation means one can look after a reaction or event, and the conserved quanity is unchanged (mass, charge, etc)
1. To check if a physical quantity is conserved, you need to see if it remains constant over time. This means that the value of the quantity does not change or is not affected by any processes or interactions.
The idea of conservation is useful because it allows us to make predictions and analyze physical systems. Conservation laws provide fundamental principles in physics, guiding our understanding of the behavior of systems and enabling us to solve complex problems. For example, the conservation of energy allows us to track and analyze the exchange and transformation of energy in various systems, such as in mechanical and thermal processes.
2. In this scenario of a head-on inelastic collision, to determine the final magnitude and direction of the velocity of the stuck together balls after the collision, you need to apply the principle of conservation of momentum.
The conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of an isolated system (where no external forces act) remains constant before and after a collision. In this case, the initial momentum of the system is the sum of the individual momenta of the two balls.
Using the law of conservation of momentum:
m1v1 + m2v2 = (m1 + m2)u
where m1 and v1 are the mass and velocity of the first ball, m2 and v2 are the mass and velocity of the second ball, and u is the final velocity of the combined balls. Plugging in the values:
(2 kg)(3 m/s) + (1 kg)(-3 m/s) = (2 kg + 1 kg)u
Simplifying:
6 kg m/s - 3 kg m/s = 3 kg u
3 kg m/s = 3 kg u
Canceling out the units and dividing both sides by 3 kg, we find:
u = 1 m/s
Therefore, the final magnitude of the velocity of the stuck together balls after the collision is 1 m/s. Since one ball was moving to the right and the other to the left before the collision, the final direction will be the same as the direction of the ball with the larger mass, which is to the right.
3. Besides momentum, other commonly considered conserved quantities in physics are energy, mass, and angular momentum.
The conservation law states that a measurable property of an isolated physical system remains constant over time, regardless of the internal interactions or processes taking place within the system. This means that these quantities cannot be created or destroyed but can only change forms or be transferred between objects within the system.
For example, the conservation of energy means that the total energy of a closed system remains constant, even though it can be converted between different forms such as kinetic energy, potential energy, and thermal energy. The conservation of mass implies that the total mass of a system remains constant, irrespective of chemical reactions or transformations occurring within the system. Conservation laws provide fundamental principles in physics, allowing us to track and analyze the behavior of various physical systems.