Conservation of Momentum - Explosion
- Place the cart on the floor with enough room in one dimension for you to throw the ball one way and for the cart to move the other way.
- Pick up the ball and sit on the cart, being careful not to fall off!
- Once the cart is steady, throw the ball as hard as you safely can horizontally in one direction. You should recoil slightly in the other direction. Discussion can be had about whether or not forces or conservation of energy are a useful way to analyze the situation. But, this 'explosion' is easiest to analyze using conservation of momentum. [Could even add a motion sensor to estimate the velocity of the cart in order to determine the velocity of the ball]
Required Equipment
