Now that we know what momentum is, let's learn about the conservation of momentum and collisions.
Similar to the law of conservation of energy, this becomes a useful tool for studying and predicting the motion of objects. If we know the total momentum of a system of objects at any moment in time, we know that value will be the same at another moment in time.
The most common scenario where we apply the conservation of momentum is a collision. A collision is when 2 or more objects come into contact with each other, like 2 cars colliding. But we can also consider scenarios like explosions, where objects or pieces of an object start together and then fly apart. We'll learn about several types of events including elastic collisions, inelastic collisions, perfectly inelastic collisions and explosions.
Angular momentum is also conserved over time, just like linear momentum. Although they are very similar, it's important to establish that the law of conservation of angular momentum is separate because it actually provides its own predictions for the motion of objects.
Now that we know what momentum is, let's learn about the conservation of momentum and collisions.
Similar to the law of conservation of energy, this becomes a useful tool for studying and predicting the motion of objects. If we know the total momentum of a system of objects at any moment in time, we know that value will be the same at another moment in time.
The most common scenario where we apply the conservation of momentum is a collision. A collision is when 2 or more objects come into contact with each other, like 2 cars colliding. But we can also consider scenarios like explosions, where objects or pieces of an object start together and then fly apart. We'll learn about several types of events including elastic collisions, inelastic collisions, perfectly inelastic collisions and explosions.
Angular momentum is also conserved over time, just like linear momentum. Although they are very similar, it's important to establish that the law of conservation of angular momentum is separate because it actually provides its own predictions for the motion of objects.
More courses have been added to Physics Lab! Check them out on the home page.
You can find the courses that you signed up for in My Dashboard. You can access your dashboard by clicking "My Dashboard" at the top of the home page or in the left sidebar inside a course if you're logged in.
If you've signed up for a course before, you should receive an email in the next week or two with more details about the recent changes to the website.
If you have any questions, send me an email at chris@physicslab.app or a message on Discord @physicslab (Chris).
You can learn more about the issue here at Teachable Status.