Experiment No : M4

Name of Experiment: Two Dimensional Collisions

Objective: To examine conservation of momentum and energy for elastic collision in two
dimensions. To demonstrate experimentally that momentum is a vector and energy is a scaler
quantity.
Keywords: Velocity, kinetic energy, conservative force, conservation of energy, conservation of
momentum, vector-scalar quantities
Theoretical Information:
Conservation of Mechanical Energy
Energy is a scalar quantity. It can be divided into two forms, kinetic and potential. In the following
equations, potential energy and kinetic energy are shown with U and K, respectively. Before the
collision is represented by “initial”, and after collision is represented by “final” subscripts. According
to the work-energy theorem, the change in kinetic energy of an object is equal to work that has done
by the net force acting on the object.
𝑊=𝐾 −𝐾 4.1
Let’s assume that only conservative forces are generating the work. The work done by conservative
forces is independent of the path and equal to the negative of the potential energy change. When these
are combined together,
𝑊=𝐾 −𝐾 =𝑈 −𝑈 4.2
is obtained. When this last equation can be written as,
𝐾 +𝑈 =𝐾 +𝑈 4.3
is obtained. Here, the left side of the equation represents the total energy after the collision whereas
the right side of the equation represents the total energy before the collision. So, as E= K + U;
E final  Einitial 4.4
is obtained. If only conservative forces are generating the work, the mechanic energy of the system
is also conserved, thus it is independent of time. The equation 4.4 represents the mechanic energy
conservation in 1,2 or 3 dimensions. This equation shows the relationship between the velocity and
position of the object. During the movement of the object, both kinetic and potential energy will
change but their sum will be constant. The law of conservation of the energy states that in an insulated
system total energy of the system is conserved. It is possible to write this statement in form of,
𝑑𝐸
= 0 ⇒ 𝐸 ≡ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 4.5
𝑑𝑡

Conservation of Momentum
 
Momentum P , of an object with mass m and velocity v is defined by the multiplication of mass and
velocity vector.

𝑃⃗ = 𝑚𝑣⃗ 4.6
Momentum is a vector quantity. Newton’s Second Law can be written as,
𝑑(𝑚𝑣⃗) 𝑑𝑃⃗ 4.7
𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗ = 𝑚 =
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
Let us consider of a system with zero net force acting on it.
𝑑𝑃⃗ 4.8
𝐹⃗ = 0 =
𝑑𝑡
That means the change of momentum over time is zero, i.e. momentum is time independent. In other
words, the momentum of the system is conserved.

𝑃⃗ = 𝑃⃗ 4.9

Let’s assume only one component of force, for examples that Fy is zero. Then, let’s write the
Newton’s Law in form of components:
𝑑𝑃 𝑑𝑃 𝑑𝑃
𝐹 = ;𝐹 = = 0; 𝐹 = 4.10
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡

As it can be seen, the solution of the first and the third equation is time independent. However, the
derivation of Py is zero, in other words Py is constant. Thus y-component of the momentum is
conserved

In a closed system of particles, i.e. no external force acting on the system and particles only interact
with each other, total momentum of the system is conserved. (See Problem 1). Here the total
momentum of the system and the vector sum of the momentums should be understood.
N particle system of masses m1 , m2 ,....... mN can be generalized according to the statement above.
Total momentum of such system composed of particles in a given time can be written as:

𝑃⃗ = 𝑃⃗ + 𝑃⃗ +. . . . . . +𝑃⃗ 4.11
Here 𝑃⃗ =m 𝑣⃗ ,𝑃⃗ =m 𝑣⃗ ,… can be written.

The summation in the equation 4.11 is a vector summation. In this case, when equation 4.7
generalized;
𝑑𝑃⃗ 𝑑 4.12
𝐹⃗ = = 𝑃⃗ + 𝑃⃗ +. . . . . . +𝑃⃗
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
will be obtained.
Here 𝐹⃗ ext, defines the net external force acting on the system of particles. In other words, the external
force is different from interaction force of the particles between them. These external forces can be
friction or gravitation. Thus if there is no external force acting on the system of particles, the total
momentum of the system will be conserved. So;
𝑑𝑃⃗ 𝑑
= 𝑃⃗ + 𝑃⃗ +. . . . . . +𝑃⃗ = 0 ⇒ 𝑃⃗ = 𝑃⃗ + 𝑃⃗ +. . . . . . +𝑃⃗ ≡ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 4.13
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
The equation above is also a vector quantity. In a system of particles with no net force (or in an
isolated system), total momentum of the system in any given time will be the same.
Quantities that does not change under certain conditions such as energy and momentum are defined
as constants of the motion. These constants simplify the solution of motion equations.
Momentum and energy conservation expressions of elastic collision of two particles in a plane are
defined as follows;
 Momentum-horizantal: 𝑚 𝑣⃗ + 𝑚 𝑣⃗ = 𝑚 𝑣⃗′ + 𝑚 𝑣⃗′ 4.14

Momentum-vertical: 𝑚 𝑣⃗ + 𝑚 𝑣⃗ = 𝑚 𝑣⃗′ + 𝑚 𝑣⃗′ 4.15

Kinetic energy: 𝑚 𝑣 + 𝑚 𝑣 = 𝑚 𝑣′ + 𝑚 𝑣′ 4.16

Center of mass (CM) is the other quantity that is compared and investigated in this experiment. Center
of mass of a uniform cube, cylinder, sphere and other symmetrical objects is its geometric center.
Center of mass of the two objects of the same mass will be located at the midpoint of the line that
connects their geometric centers. However, if one of the objects is heavier than the other, then the
center of mas will shift towards the heavier one.
The mass should be redefined for various mass distributions. The position vector, 𝑅⃗ of system of N
partical with position vectors 𝑟⃗1, 𝑟⃗2, ....., 𝑟⃗ and masses m1, m2,....,mN is defined as in equation 4.17.
Here, 𝑟⃗ vectors are position vectors of each particle in the coordinate system whereas 𝑅⃗ represents
the position vector of the center of mass.
𝑚 𝑟⃗ + 𝑚 𝑟⃗ +. . . +𝑚 𝑟⃗
𝑅⃗ = 4.17
𝑚 + 𝑚 +. . . +𝑚
If the position of particles changes with time, position of the center of mass also changes the vector
changing ratio of center of mas can be considered as the velocity of CM.
𝑑𝑅⃗ 4.18
𝑣⃗ =
𝑑𝑡
If the derivative of both sides of the equation 4.17 will be taken for constant mass particles;
𝑚 𝑟⃗˙ + 𝑚 𝑟⃗˙ +. . . +𝑚 𝑟⃗˙ 𝑚 𝑣⃗ + 𝑚 𝑣⃗ +. . . +𝑚 𝑣⃗
𝑅˙⃗ = ⇒ 𝑉⃗ = 4.19
𝑚 + 𝑚 +. . . +𝑚 𝑚 + 𝑚 +. . . +𝑚
Equation (4.19) will be obtained. The dots on of the equation 4.19 are annotation of derivative with
respect to time which is the velocity of the mass. When these derived equations are adapted to our
two-disc system in the experiment;
𝑚 𝑟⃗ + 𝑚 𝑟⃗
𝑅⃗ = 4.22
𝑚 +𝑚
and the masses in the equation 4.22 simplified because the mass of the discs are equal (m1=m2=m);
equation 4.23 will be obtained.
𝑚𝑟⃗ + 𝑚𝑟⃗ 𝑚(𝑟⃗ + 𝑟⃗ ) 𝑟⃗ + 𝑟⃗
𝑅⃗ = ⇒ 𝑅⃗ = ⇒ 𝑅⃗ = 4.23
𝑚+𝑚 2𝑚 2
In that case; if the derivative of position vectors with respect to time will be taken, the velocity of the
CM will be:
𝑣⃗ + 𝑣⃗
𝑉⃗ = 4.24
2
Equation 4.24 has important outcomes. It means that while momentum is conserved, the velocity of
CM is constant (constant velocity, no change in magnitude and direction.). Thus, the center of mass
of an isolated system with conserved momentum always moves with constant velocity in linear
motion. Thus of our two-disc system should be 𝑉⃗initial
CM = 𝑉⃗CM
final
for before and after the collision.