Date: 3/27/25
Impulse and Momentum
Names: Stephen Anderson (blue), Forrest Ibbotson (purple), Danny Garduno (red)
Aim:
Experiment with Impulse and Momentum, and gain an understanding of different kinds of
collisions including elastic and inelastic.
Introduction:
We will test the behaviors of balls with different properties, as well as how mass impacts velocity
and motion in collisions.
Methods/Procedures:
Happy & Sad Balls:
We will roll balls down a track and into a wooden block, and repeat the process until we find the
point where the ball just barely knocks the block over. We will then make predictions about how
the system would change if we change the ball used.
Pushing Chairs Apart:
One person, holding a sensor and sitting in a rolling chair, will be pushed by another person, also
sitting in a rolling chair. Using the sensor, we will take measurements of the force applied, and
measure the motion of the two people. We will compare this information with our predictions.
(Lab Note: Have participant hold sensor securely)
Heading A Soccer Ball:
One person will throw a soccer ball at another person, who will head the ball. We will record it
on the iPad and use the data to find the average force the ball exerts on the person’s head.
Results:
Happy & Sad Balls:
Bouncing Observations:
- The happy ball had the most change in momentum. The happy ball was the bounciest ball
because it went from negative momentum to positive as it bounced.
- The sad ball had the least change in momentum. The sad ball didn’t bounce because it
goes from a negative momentum to pretty much 0 momentum.
Rolling Prediction:
- The happy ball knocks the block down because of its rebound, it has a greater impulse
during the collision, which results in more force being exerted on the block.
Rolling Observations:
- The happy ball was knocked over the block without being as high as the sad ball, this
matches the predictions.
Pushing Chairs Apart:
Rapid unintentional movement of sensor following impact, leading to fracture and relocation of
researcher’s nasal bone.
Fig ?
The system here (the people and the rolling chairs) have a conserved energy but a different
initial and final momentum, similar to an elastic collision
.
Force vs Time graph
Final Momentum Calculation
Impulse Calculation
The graph of the person pushing the person
The graph of the person being pushed
Heading A Soccer Ball
Sketch of horizontal velocity over time graph
Graph of horizontal position and velocity over time from iPad
Calculations of change in momentum and average force
We found that the ball’s change in momentum was 5.22 kg m/s over a period of 1 second,
making the force the ball inflicted on my head 5.22N. This result makes sense as it’s roughly
about 0.5kg of force and the ball weighs just under 0.5kg making it reasonable that such a force
caused the ball to fly upwards out of a free fall.
Conclusion:
For Happy & Sad balls, the elastic ball (happy) requires less velocity to knock over the
block, because it imparts more energy during the collision. The “sad” ball requires more velocity
to knock over the block because it has less energy during the collision.
For “Pushing Chairs Apart” the initial momentum is 0 and the final momentum of -41.46
N/S. The impulse was -4.15N/S. We would probably have to have the mavfa+mbvfb =
(ma+mb)vAB and calculate it from there using algebra.
For “Heading a Soccer Ball” the soccer ball’s change in momentum was 5.22 kg m/s over
one second making the force from the ball on my head 5.22N. This number is reasonable because
I didn’t hit the ball too hard as I do not know how to play soccer and the data aligns with the
weight of the ball.
