Question

For a Baliistic Pendulum lab;

Describe in words how you used conservation of energy in this lab. You must also expain why you were able to use conservation of energy for this part of the problem.

Answer 1

In the ballistic pendulum lab- spring loaded gun fires a projectile horizontally into the bottom of pendulum,where it becomes lodged.pendulum swings some height where it is stopped.for measuring the maximum height of pendulum and projection , we use conservation of mechaical energy.we determine the kinetic energy of pendulum and projection after they collide.

Mechaical energy ( kinetic energy and potential energy )is conserved when no work is done by forces resulting loss in mechanical engineering.

In this lab we determine how much energy this is by seeing how high pendulum swings,it' stops when all kinetic energy is transformed into potential energy.

Use conservation of energy to find kinetic energy and then velocity of the pendulum and ball after collision.

Steps:

1. Determine the change in potential energy of ball due to change in height.

2. Determine the change in potential energy due to change in height by masses of all moving parts.

3. Determine the total change of potential energy and by the help of this initial kinetic energy of the pendulum/ball (both).here iniially means just after collision.

4. Finally determine the corresponding velocity.