Physics: Impulse of a Force

Objectives

• Students will determine the force exerted by a stationary object on the cart during a collision and the time of collision.
• Students will relate the effects of changes on mass and speed of motion on the magnitude of the impulse.
• Students will develop an understanding of the relationships between force, speed, time, and impulse.

Vocabulary

• force
• impulse
• mass
• speed
• time

About the Lesson

This lesson allows students to observe the elastic collision of a moving cart with a stationary object.
As a result, students will:

• Measure the force exerted by the stationary object on the cart during the collision and the time of collision.
• Add mass to the cart and change its speed and observe the effects of these changes on the magnitude of the impulse.
• Collect experimental data and measure impulse while changing mass and speed.