Linear Momentum Lab Activity
So, after you broke the string, your Newton car should have moved forward, and if you paid close attention, you should have seen the container full of pennies being flung backward. Thus, the Newton car had a velocity after the string was broken, and so did the container with pennies.
Think back to the Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum. It states that for any closed system (ours is), the total linear momentum will not change. If the total linear momentum of our system was zero before breaking the string, it must also be equal to zero after breaking the string. How can the total linear momentum of the system be equal to zero if the components of the system are moving? Fill in the blanks below to find out.
Think back to the Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum. It states that for any closed system (ours is), the total linear momentum will not change. If the total linear momentum of our system was zero before breaking the string, it must also be equal to zero after breaking the string. How can the total linear momentum of the system be equal to zero if the components of the system are moving? Fill in the blanks below to find out.
Why the Total Momentum of the System is Still Zero Self-Quiz
Scroll to the top of the page and read the material if you have not already. When you are ready to complete the exercise, fill in all the blanks. Then, press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. You can also click on the "[?]" button to get a clue. Note that you will lose points if you ask for hints or clues!