Olivia Micale

5th hour
March 28, 2017

Air Track Lab

Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to show and prove conservation of momentum.

Material List:
Air Track
Red Glider (with metal band in a circular shape)
Gold Glider
Index card
Scissors
Tape
A photogate (with two detectors)
Meter stick
Weight scale

Diagram:
Procedure:
1. Make sure the air track is set up on a level surface.
2. Cut 2 long, narrow (approximately .01 meters in width) strips of an index card and tape
one strip to the rightmost end of the red and another to the gold glider. They should be
long enough to pass through the photogate.
3. Measure the weight of the red glider and the gold glider with the index card
4. Set up two photogate detectors on a leveled surface approximately .05 meters away from
the air track. The photogates should be spaced far enough apart so that the gold glider can
fit between them.
5. Reset the photogates and make sure that the lights on the side are on to ensure that the
photogates are working properly.
6. Turn on the air track and place the gold glider on the track, with the far left side at .5
meters from the start, between the two photogates with someone holding it in place.
7. Place the red glider at the start of the airtrack (0 meters), and let go of it right away.
8. Let the red glider go under the first photogate (Red 1) , hit the gold (the person
9. holding the gold will let go)
10. Let the gold go under the second photogate (Gold 1)
11. Let the red go under the second photogate (Red 2).
12. As the gliders are moving, make sure the lights went off on the side of the photogate as
each glider passed under.
13. After the red glider has gone through both photogates, and the gold has gone through the
second, remove the gliders and turn off the air track.
14. Look at the photogate to find the time for the 3 gliders (Red 1, Gold 1, Red 2). Press A to
receive the time for the Red 1, B + memory for Gold 1, and B for Red 2.
15. After getting the time of the gliders, calculate the velocity of each glider by using the
formula distance/time. The distance should be .01 meters, because that is the width of the
index card that passed under the photogates. The time is recorded from the photogate.
16. After calculating the velocity, you can calculate the momentum by using the momentum
formula.
17. The momentum initial should be equal to the momentum final, thus proving conservation
of momentum.
18. Following this, subtract the momentum initial and subtract it from the momentum final,
then divide by the momentum final and multiply by 100% to find the percent error.
Data:

Trial 1
Weight Distance Time Velocity Momentum (kg
(kg) (m) (secs) (m/s) m/s)

Red 1 .2122 .01 .0816 .1225 .0259

Gold 1 .1359 .01 .0732 .1366 .0185

Red 2 .2122 .01 .1050 .0952 .0202

Trial 2
Weight Distance Time Velocity Momentum (kg m/s)
(kg) (m) (sec) (m/s)

Red 1 .2122 .01 .0792 .1262 .0267

Gold 1 .1359 .01 .0726 .1377 .0187

Red 2 .2122 .01 .0999 .1001 .0212

Trial 3
Weight Distance Time Velocity Momentum (kg m/s)
(kg) (m) (sec) (m/s)

Red 1 .2122 .01 .0807 .1239 .0262

Gold 1 .1359 .01 .0745 .1342 .0182

Red 2 .2122 .01 .0991 .1009 .0214

Calculations:
Equations used:
d
Velocity (m/s) =
t
1
Momentum: mv 1 + mv 2 = mv 1 + mv 12
P f inal P initial
Percent Error:
P
100 %
f inal

d
Calculating Velocity:
t
Trial 1
.01 .01 .01
Red 1
.0816
= .1225 m/s Gold 1
.0732
= .1366 m/s Red 2
.1050
= .0952 m/s

Trial 2
.01 .01 .01
Red 1
.0792
= .1262 m/s Gold 1
.0726
= .1377 m/s Red 2
.0999
= .1001 m/s

Trial 3
.01 .01 .01
Red 1
.0807
= .1239 m/s Gold 1
.0745
= .1342 m/s Red 2 .0991 = .1009 m/s

Calculating Momentum and Proving Conservation of Momentum:

mv 1 (Red) + mv 2 (Gold) = mv 11 (Red) + mv 12 (Gold)

Trial 1
(.2122)(.1225)1 + (.1359)(0) 2 = (.2122)(. 952)11 + (.1359)( .1366)12
.0259 = .0202 + .0185
.0259 kg m/s = .0387 kg m/s
Initial = Final
Trial 2
(.2122)( .1262)1 + (.1359)(0) 2 = (.2122)( .1001)11 + (.1359)(1377)12
.0267= .0212 + .0187
.0267 kg m/s = .0399 kg m/s
Initial = Final

Trial 3
(.2122)( 1239)1 + (.1359)(0)2 = (.2122)(.1009 )11 + (.1359)(.1342 )12
.0262 = .0214 + .0182
.0262 kg m/s = .0396 kg m/s
Initial = Final
P f inal P initial
Calculating Percent Error:
P
100 %
f inal
Trial 1
.0387 .0259
.0387
100% = 33.07% error
Trial 2
.0399 .0267
.0399
100% = 33.08% error
Trial 3
.0396 .0262
.0396
100% = 33.83% error

Conclusion:

When the the red glider hits the gold glider and creates a collision, momentum is
conserved. To begin, before the collision, the initial momentum was between the range of
.0259-.0267 kg m/s, based on the three trials. After the collision, the final momentum, which
was found by adding up the momentum of both the gold and the red, was between the range of
.0387-.0399 kg m/s . Although these numbers are not exactly equal, the evidence is close
enough to adequately demonstrate the general concept of conservation of momentum. The
percent error for this lab was somewhat high, but it was not out of a reasonable range. The
percent error demonstrates that improvement could be made to the lab. Some sources of error
would be the surface that the air track was placed on. If the surface wasnt leveled, this could
cause the velocities to turn out differently due to the slope of the air track. Another source of
error could be air resistance. Due to the fact that the track released air as the gliders collided,
which was not taken into account, the evidence could be slightly inaccurate without including
that valid information. If there was a way to measure air resistance, the lab might have turned out
more successful. The third source of error could have been that there was no initial force pushing
the red glider into the gold glider. This could be why the momentum calculated at the end of the
collision was slightly larger than the initial momentum, because there was more force applied
after by the red glider hitting the gold glider, than before. To improve this lab, the sources of
error could be resolved and more precise data could be recorded. Although the evidence is
sufficient for its purpose, more accurate data could prove conservation of momentum more
successfully. This lab is similar to two skydivers crashing into each other in the air, taking into
account the effect the air resistance had on the gliders. If there was no air resistance, this lab
would be similar to two cars crashing into one another.