Question

How to find final momentum of inelastic collision?
I'm doing an activity for physics and I have to find the final momentum after two items collide in an inelastic collision. I have the two initial momentums and two final momentums, but the sheet is only looking for one final momentum. Do I add the two final momentums to get the final momentum?

Answer 1

yes

just remember momentum is a vector so it has direction

Answer 2

and it should equal the total initial momentum (or your experiment has discovered a new law)!!!

Answer 3

I think that you have to make the vector sum of the two final momentums. Please also check that vector sum has to be equal to the vector sum of the two initial momentums

Answer 4

@Michele_Laino

Answer 5

how do i find the amplitde

Answer 6

Convert this to a sine wave with Amplitude on y-axis, time on x-axis:

\(A\) is amplitude (in cm)
\(T\) is period (in seconds) or number of seconds per cycle
Frequency is \(\frac{1}{T}\) Hz or number of cycles per second

Peak-to-Peak is 18 cm so amplitude is half of this
It takes 3 seconds to move the block 3 cycles so,
$$
3T=6~\text{seconds}
$$
Solve for T

In one cycle, the block has moved 18 cm
In 3 cycles it has moved three times that distance

Does this make sense?