Concept Overview
- Transfer and conservation of momentum
- Elastic Collisions
- Inelastic Collisions
Lecturer Procedure for Demonstration
| Steps to Follow | Expected Result | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ball will travel from the edge of the spring and impact the pendulum. Pendulum will swing, moving the marker on the meter stick. Ball will roll away from pendulum | The momentum of the ball is transferred to the pendulum. |
| Ball will travel from the edge of the spring and impact the pendulum. Pendulum will swing, moving the marker on the meter stick. Ball will remain attached to the pendulum. | The momentum of the ball is transferred to the pendulum. |
Historical References; Taken from original work of Percy H. Carr, 1970
"To add interest I recommend that the procedure be described to the students in considerable detail before the operation is carried out, even to pointing out that in the first case the sticking of the projectile to the pendulum must occur while in the second case the projectile must rebound to some extent. Then ask the class, after at least a minute to think, to indicate by show of hands their response to the following questions:
- How many think the pendulum will go farther when the projectile sticks?
- How many think the pendulum will go farther than when the projectile bounces?
- How many think there is no difference?
Then if the tally is recorded on the board, either in numbers or estimated fraction of the class, is significantly short of the number present, ask: 'How many don’t think?' My experience has been overwhelming support for (1). This I think may be due to golf instructions to follow through on a stroke.”
Video Demonstration
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