This is a faster, easier project than the Linear Accelerator, and builds on the ideas from both Unit 11: Magnetism and Unit 2: Motion (in the momentum section).
Have you ever shot a billiard ball toward another on a pool table and watched the first one stop while the second goes flying? This has to do with a concept known as momentum.
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Momentum can be defined as inertia in motion. Something must be moving to have momentum. Momentum is how hard it is to get something to stop or to change directions. A moving train has a whole lot of momentum. A moving ping pong ball does not. You can easily stop a ping pong ball, even at high speeds. It is difficult, however, to stop a train even at low speeds.
Mathematically, momentum is mass times velocity, or Momentum=mv. The heavier something is and/or the faster it’s moving the more momentum it has. The more momentum something has, the more force it takes to get it to change velocity and the more force it can apply if it hits something.
Momentum is inertia in motion, how hard it is to get something to change directions or speed. Momentum = mv. Conservation of momentum; mv = mv. If something hits something else the momentum of the objects before the collision will equal the momentum of the objects after the collision.
This experiment is a great example of how momentum can be transferred from one object to another, just like on the pool table.
Materials (refer to shopping list for online stores):
- five 1/2" ball bearings (or similar size)
- 1-4 neodymium magnets
- paper towel tube
The ball furthest from the magnet breaks free because it has enough momentum (which is directly related to speed) to escape the magnetic field of the strong magnet. What happens if you try this experiment without the magnets? Can you get one ball bearing to transfer all its momentum to a second one? You can read more about momentum here.
Turn this experiment into a first-prize science fair project by using our Science Fair Project guides!
Advanced students: Download your Momentum lab here.
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These labs are part of the summer e-Camp program, which is available June through August. They are fun, aren’t they?
Are these labs and experiments available to us during the school year?
I finished the disc today
I LOVE this! It’s SO cool! <3 By Skylar (6th grader)
It is a very fun experiment, and I hope to see many more like this.