In this lab, you will use a dynamics track to generate collisions between two carts. If momentum is conserved,

Question

In this lab, you will use a dynamics track to generate collisions between two carts. If momentum is conserved, what variable change would result in a velocity change after a collision? In the space below, write a scientific question that you will answer by doing this experiment.

GPT-5 mini · Answer

Answer: change the mass of one (or both) carts. Because momentum p = m v, changing mass while keeping total momentum conditions or initial momenta fixed will change the velocities after the collision.

Scientific question (example you can test): How does changing the mass of the second cart (independent variable), while keeping the first cart's mass and initial speed constant, affect the final velocities of both carts after a one-dimensional collision on a low-friction track (dependent variables)?

Controlled variables to state in the experiment: initial speed of the moving cart, collision type (elastic vs. inelastic), track angle/friction, and the mass of the first cart.

In this lab, you will use a dynamics track to generate collisions between two carts. If momentum is conserved, what variable change would result in a velocity change after a collision? In the space below, write a scientific question that you will answer by doing this experiment.

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