Mr. Bouncy and Mr. Woods Collide

Today we are privileged to have Mr. Bouncy and Mr. Woods here to show us how momentum is conserved. The fancy equation that expresses conservation of momentum is as follows:

m1v1 + m2v2 = m1v1f + m2v2f

The equation includes the masses, the starting velocity, and the ending velocity of both balls.

Here is the footage of the two balls colliding:

Here we see Mr. Woods is hit very rudely by Mr. Bouncy and the collision makes both balls change direction and speed.

From Logger Pro:

The speed of Mr. Bouncy- Vi = 0.52 m/s (Right)      Vf = 0.09 m/s (Left)

The speed of Mr. Woods-  Vi = 0 m/s                        Vf = 0.16 m/s (Right)

Estimated Weights:

Mr. Bouncy = 0.02 kg

Mr. Woods = 0.04 kg

Calculations:

Now we can use the equation for conservation of momentum, and we can find if there was any kinetic energy lost in the collision.

As shown above, the initial and final values are not the same. This is most likely due to the errors when calibrating the meter stick in logger pro. This is an elastic collision so there should not be any kinetic energy lost, but according to my calculations that seems to be false. To make a perfect conservation of momentum display on Earth it would be nearly impossible, as shown today with Mr. Bouncy and Mr. Woods.