The Impulse-Momentum Theorem
 
Overview
 
Today you are going to record the impacts of a ball bouncing on a force plate.  From your knowledge of freely falling bodies and energy conservation, you will calculate the change in momentum from the time between bounces.  You will then collect impulse data as measured from the integral of the force of the collision over time.  In principle, the calculated change in momentum will be close to the measured impulse -- the impulse-momentum theorem.
 
There are two parts to this experiment. Part I concerns theory and Part II, the experiment. Ideally, you have tried Part I before arriving in lab so that you will have plenty of time to complete the worksheet.  If not, start with Part II.  Collect the data for Questions 3 and 4 on the worksheet, then return to Part I.
 
 
Today’s equipment and example data
 
 
Part I
Part II
Worksheet
Index