Some students conduct an experiment to prove conservation of momentum. They use two objects that collide. Measurements are taken before and after the collision. Which two quantities will the students multiply together before and after the collision
Before the collision, the students will multiply the mass of the first object with its initial velocity, followed by multiplying the mass of the second object with its initial velocity.
After the collision, the students will do the same, multiplying the mass of the first object with its final velocity, and then multiplying the mass of the second object with its final velocity.
The two quantities that the students will multiply together before and after the collision are mass and velocity.
To prove the conservation of momentum, the students should multiply the mass and velocity of each object before and after the collision.
Before the collision, the measurement of momentum can be calculated by multiplying the mass (m) and velocity (v) of each object. The equation for momentum is:
Momentum (p) = mass (m) × velocity (v)
So, for each object, you would calculate p1 = m1 × v1 and p2 = m2 × v2, where p1 and p2 are the momentum of each object respectively, m1 and m2 are the masses, and v1 and v2 are the velocities.
After the collision, the students should again measure the mass and velocity of each object. Then, they can calculate the momentum using the same formula as before:
p1' = m1' × v1'
p2' = m2' × v2'
Here, p1' and p2' represent the momentum after the collision, m1' and m2' are the new masses, and v1' and v2' are the new velocities.
By comparing the calculated momentum before (p1 + p2) and after (p1' + p2') the collision, the students can verify if the total momentum is conserved. If the values are equal, it indicates that momentum is conserved in the collision.