In an experiment to prove the conservation of momentum during a collision between two objects, the students will typically multiply two quantities: mass and velocity.
Before the collision, they will measure the mass and velocity of each object and calculate their momentum using the formula:
\[ \text{Momentum} (p) = \text{mass} (m) \times \text{velocity} (v) \]
They will do the same after the collision to confirm that the total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision:
\[ \text{Total Momentum Before} = m_1 v_1 + m_2 v_2 \] \[ \text{Total Momentum After} = m_1 v_1' + m_2 v_2' \]
where \(m_1\) and \(m_2\) are the masses of the two objects, \(v_1\) and \(v_2\) are their velocities before the collision, and \(v_1'\) and \(v_2'\) are their velocities after the collision. The principle of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum before the collision should equal the total momentum after the collision, provided no external forces are acting on the system.