Head to Head: Is Momentum Conserved in a Collision?
Sim Lesson
Students use the Head to Head simulation to crash two carts on a frictionless track, then use the Tuva Data Tools to test whether the total momentum of the two carts changes during the collision. They predict, graph Total Momentum against time, read the result, and explain why momentum is conserved. Lesson Purpose Students often expect that a crash "uses up" motion, or that the faster or heavier cart simply wins. This lesson lets them measure the momentum of the whole system before, during, and after impact and discover that the total stays the same, even while kinetic energy does not always survive the collision.
Two Carts, One Track Two carts sit on a track so smooth there is almost no friction. You choose how heavy each cart is, how fast it starts, and what kind of collision happens when they meet. When they crash, each cart's own motion changes in an instant. In this lesson you will run a collision, then use the Tuva Data Tools to graph the total momentum of both carts across the whole run. You will predict what the total does at the moment of impact, read it from your graph, and explain what you find.
Topics and standards: Science, Energy, Physics, Physical Science, Mechanical Energy, Simulation, Motion, HS-PS3-1, Forces & Motion, HS-PS2-2, Forces, AP Sciences, SC.912.P.12.5, TEKS Science PHY.7.E, PHYS1-PS3-3, 3.2.9-12.J, 3.2.9-12.O