Lesson 2.5: Conservation of Momentum

For collisions between vehicles, an investigator may collect data from police photographs of the collision, assess the damage to the vehicles, and measure the distance each vehicle moved after the collision. By analyzing this information, the investigator may determine the motion of each vehicle prior to the collision. Vital to the data analysis is an understanding of the relationship between the total momentum both before and the total momentum after a collision.

• Read page 264 of the textbook and the first paragraph on page 265.

In the next activity, you will examine the total momentum before and after collisions by watching a series of applets called “Momentum and Collisions”.

 

• Read pages 268 to 271 of the textbook, ending at “2.5 Summary”. Answer the questions as you encounter them.
  
  Check your answers with those in the “Practice Answers” in the online course.
  
  
• Read “2.5 Summary” on page 271 of the textbook. Then, complete“2.5 Questions”.
  
  Check your answers with those in the “Practice Answers” in the online course.
  

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Go to Assignment 2.5: Conservation of Momentum.