1. | Can one of the objects lose momentum in a collision? In a collision between two objects, where must that momentum end up? |
2. | An elastic collision between objects in which one is three times heavier than the other is a special case. Set this up with the two objects having equal speeds. What happens after the collision? This is often done as an in-class demonstration, placing a baseball or tennis ball on top of a basketball and dropping them together. Try this yourself to see if the predictions of the simulation reflect reality. Be careful to avoid the top ball after the collision! |
3. | The simulation allows you to consider superelastic collisions, in which the total energy is larger after the collision. Where could this kinetic energy have come from? |