Alyami 1

Fahd Alyami
Prof. Leonard Khaza
Physics III
Date: 05/11/2012
Collision lab report
Conclusion
The analysis of collision in any isolated system greatly depends on whether the impact is
elastic or inelastic. As much as momentum is conserved in all collisions, the two principles of
conservation; conservation of energy and conservation of momentum have to be upheld to satisfy
this universally. The inelasticity of any system ranges from almost elastic to perfectly inelastic.
This is because of the forces, however minimal, acting on it. An example of such forces is
friction (between the air and the gliders) in our experimental system. The transition of kinetic
momentum is never perfect; some energy is lost along the way but in most elastic collisions this
energy is conserved while this energy is converted into other forms of energy for example sound
and light during an inelastic collision.
Using the experiment and the information from the calculations I have worked out, I have
concluded that Run one; the carts produced on motion at all after impact. This was because the
momentums of both carts cancelled each other out. This means that the calculated momentum of
the cart (M1) was equal to the mass of cart (M2) at rest. This collision is inelastic because
momentum is not conserved.
The carts were motional for run 2 however, one was left stationary while the other
repelled after collision. This is still an inelastic collision because the momentum of one cart was

Alyami 2

enough to cancel out the impact on the other cart and even so to propel the said cart in the
opposite direction. However, in run 3, both carts moved together in same direction because the
momentum of one cart cancelled out the momentum of the other and move together. This is an
elastic collision because the kinetic energy after collision is conserved.