Solve Momentum Lab: Calculate % Error - Momentum Lab

[WeaselPwnage]

1. I need some help with a Lab that's due tomorrow
For the lab a spark table was set-up flat, and one puck was shot at another. Using the dots that were on the paper, I managed to figure out the time and distance of Both the pucks before and after their collision. I was also able to calculate the Momentum for both of the pucks in the x and y directions. I now have to calculate the % error to see if the Momentum was conserved properly, but I am unsure of how to do this.

2. v=d/t, P=mv, Mass of Puck1 = 0.01856, Mass of Puck2 = 0.01946

 

[jbsteele]

To calculate the % error for the conservation of momentum, you will need to compare the momentum before and after the collision. To do this, you need to calculate the momentum for each puck before and after the collision using the equation P=mv, where m is the mass of the puck and v is the velocity of the puck. You can calculate the velocity of the puck using the equation v=d/t, where d is the distance the puck traveled in a given time (t). Once you have the momentum for each puck before and after the collision, you can calculate the % error by dividing the difference in momentum before and after the collision by the initial momentum before the collision. The formula for this calculation is: % error = (Pfinal-Pinitial)/Pinitial * 100 For example, if the momentum of the first puck before the collision was 2 and after the collision was 1, then the % error would be calculated as: % error = (1-2)/2 * 100 = -50%