Conservation of Momentum - HTML Structure

Basic Collision Demonstration

Blue Ball Mass: 5 kg

Blue Ball Velocity: 5 m/s

Red Ball Mass: 5 kg

Red Ball Velocity: -5 m/s

What's Happening?

This animation demonstrates the basic principle of conservation of momentum. The total momentum of the system (sum of both balls' momenta) remains the same before and after the collision.

Momentum is calculated as mass × velocity (p = m × v). Notice how the total momentum stays constant even though the individual momenta of the balls change.

Conservation of Momentum: p_{total before} = p_{total after}

Elastic Collisions

Blue Ball Mass: 5 kg

Blue Ball Velocity: 5 m/s

Red Ball Mass: 5 kg

Red Ball Velocity: 0 m/s

What's Happening?

In an elastic collision, both momentum AND kinetic energy are conserved. The balls bounce off each other without losing energy.

Momentum: p_{total before} = p_{total after}

Kinetic Energy: KE_{total before} = KE_{total after}

Real-world examples of nearly elastic collisions include billiard balls and superballs.

Inelastic Collisions

Blue Object Mass: 5 kg

Blue Object Velocity: 5 m/s

Red Object Mass: 5 kg

Red Object Velocity: 0 m/s

What's Happening?

In an inelastic collision, momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not. The objects stick together or deform during the collision.

Momentum: p_{total before} = p_{total after}

Kinetic Energy: KE_{total before} > KE_{total after}

The "lost" kinetic energy is converted to heat, sound, or deformation energy. Examples include clay balls colliding or cars crashing.

Explosions

Explosion Force: 5

Number of Fragments: 3

What's Happening?

An explosion demonstrates conservation of momentum in reverse. A stationary object (zero momentum) breaks into multiple pieces that move in different directions.

The total momentum remains zero because the momentum vectors of all the fragments add up to cancel each other out.

This is the same principle that makes rockets work! The rocket pushes exhaust gases backward, and the gases push the rocket forward with equal momentum.

Real-World Applications

Animation Speed: 5

What's Happening?

Conservation of momentum applies to many real-world situations:

Billiards: When the cue ball hits another ball, momentum is transferred while being conserved in the system.

Rocket Propulsion: A rocket expels gas in one direction and moves in the opposite direction to conserve momentum.

Ice Skaters: When two skaters push away from each other, they move in opposite directions with momenta proportional to their masses.

Car Collision: In a crash, the total momentum before equals the total momentum after, which is why heavier vehicles tend to push lighter ones.