The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of an isolated system remains constant before and after a collision unless acted upon by an external force.
To determine whether momentum was conserved before or after a collision, follow these steps:
1. Identify the objects involved in the collision. Determine the masses and velocities of each object before and after the collision.
2. Calculate the momentum (mass multiplied by velocity) of each object before and after the collision.
3. Sum up the momenta of all objects before the collision and compare it to the sum of the momenta after the collision.
4. If the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, momentum is conserved. If the total momentum is different, momentum is not conserved.
Remember that momentum is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. So when calculating the sum of momenta, consider the direction of each object's momentum and use positive and negative signs accordingly.
How can you calculate whether momentum was conserved before or after a collision
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