Frame:

Time:

 sec

 

Step through the video clip frame by frame and track a convenient point on each cart.

Determine the velocity of each cart before and after the collision.  Record  the distance traveled and the direction of motion (positive towards the right, negative toward the left) in the table below.  (Example:  If a cart moves 5.5 cm towards the right enter 5.5, if it moves 5.5 cm towards the left enter -5.5 into the distance traveled cell.)  A script calculates the velocity and the momentum.  After you have determined the momentum of each cart before and after the collision, click the button to calculate the total momentum before and after the collision.  Note: You only have to make one measurement after the collision, both carts travel the same distance in the same time interval.
  Distance traveled
before the collision
in 0.345 s
Frame 2 to frame 12
Distance traveled
after the collision
in 0.345 s
Frame 15 to frame 25
Velocity before
the collision
Velocity after
collision
Momentum before
the collision
Momentum after
the collision
Cart 1 (right) 
mass = 0.5 kg
  cm   cm   cm/s   cm/s   kg cm/s   kg cm/s
Cart 2 (left) 
mass = 0.5 kg
  cm   cm   cm/s   cm/s   kg cm/s   kg cm/s

Total momentum before and after the collision:      
  kg cm/s   kg cm/s