What can cause a loss in momentum?

Gamer. Potterhead. Originally Answered: In an experiment, what are possible causes of loss of linear momentum, and what physical properties of the colliding objects determine how elastic the collision will be/how much momentum is conserved? There are two major causes : friction, and plastic deformations.

How do you know if momentum is conserved in an elastic collision?

Elastic Collision When a collision occurs in an isolated system, the total momentum of the system of objects is conserved. Provided that there are no net external forces acting upon the objects, the momentum of all objects before the collision equals the momentum of all objects after the collision.

What never changes when two or more bodies collide?

Answer: FALSE – Two colliding objects will only experience the same velocity change if they have the same mass and the collision occurs in an isolated system. It is momentum which is conserved by an isolated system of two or more objects. TRUE – Two colliding objects will exert equal forces upon each other.

What is random error example?

One of these is called Random Error. An error is considered random if the value of what is being measured sometimes goes up or sometimes goes down. A very simple example is our blood pressure. Even if someone is healthy, it is normal that their blood pressure does not remain exactly the same every time it is measured.

What makes a collision a source of error?

So that’s a start. Also, any factors you didn’t account for could potentially be considered sources of error. That includes air friction as well as friction with the glass, and any energy released during the collision.

How are inelastic collisions used in momentum lab?

The raw data for the inelastic collisions is shown below. After the lab this data was analyzed using the momentum equations above to give the following values. The values of the momentum ratio are very close to one which indicates that the momentum is conserved in the experiment.

When to include errors in your physics experiment?

If you find that the connecting wires are not long enough, do not join two pieces of wire. The contact resistance at the joint can be quite significant. Instead, ask for a longer piece of wire. Remember your physics experiment lab report should include some sort of error discussion. it’s not possible to conduct a perfect experiment.

Do you blame your lab partner for the error?

Don’t blame your lab partner—at least, not in your report—because it isn’t a valid source of error. When you identify and describe a source of error, keep the following points in mind: It should sound like an inherent problem that you couldn’t plausibly avoid.