What This Document Is
This document is a fifth physics lab report, completed by Armand Jacques for PHYS 2095 at Kean University, focusing on the principle of conservation of momentum during collisions in one dimension. The report details an experiment involving colliding gliders on an air track, both elastically and inelastically.
Why This Document Matters
This report is intended for the instructor of the Physics I course to assess a student’s understanding of momentum, energy, and collision types. It serves as a record of experimental procedures, data collection, and analysis performed in a laboratory setting. It’s a key component of the course grade.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This report represents a single student’s work and analysis. It does not provide generalized instruction on collision physics or lab techniques. It is a specific instance of applying theoretical concepts.
What This Document Provides
The full report includes a stated purpose for the experiment, a brief theoretical overview of momentum and energy conservation, raw data collected from the experiment (masses, times, velocities), calculated values for initial and final momentum and kinetic energy, percentage differences between theoretical predictions and experimental results, and a concluding discussion of the findings. This preview does *not* include the detailed calculations or the full data tables.