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• Is momentum conserved in all collisions?

Two Types of Collisions:

Inelastic (carts stick together):

• Momentum (p) is conserved
• Kinetic Energy (KE) is not conserved

Elastic (carts bounce):

• p and KE are conserved

• Collect data for many collisions (both types)
• Use "Calculation Sheet" to calculate p and KE for one collision of each type.
• Use spreadsheet (in T:\PHYS103 & Enable macros!) to calculate p and KE for all your collisions (including ones calculated by hand).

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Revised: 08 Dec 03

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