St. Charles Preparatory School, OHPH MECHANICSAP FR Dynamics-DeVit

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AP Physics Dynamics Free Response Practice 1.A heavy lab cart moves with kinetic energy K i on a track and collides with a lighter lab cart that is initially at rest. The carts bounce off each other... but the collision is not perfectly elastic, causing the two-cart system to lose kinetic energy K l ost . A student wonders if the fraction of kinetic energy lost from the two-cart system during the Collision ( KE l ost )/(KE init) depends on the speed of the first cart before the collision and plans to perform an experiment. (a) The student hypothesizes that a greater fraction of kinetic energy is lost from the system during the collision when the speed of the first cart is greater. Briefly state one reason the hypothesis might be correct. The hypothesis might be correct because kinetic energy=1/2mv^2, so if the speed of the cart is greater, it would have a greater kinetic energy, and thus it would be reasonable to assume it would lose a greater fraction of kinetic energy. (b) Design an experimental procedure that could be used to test the student’s hypothesis. Assume equipment usually found in a school physics laboratory is available. Using the table below, list the quantities that would be measured and the equipment that would be used to measure each quantity. Also, define a symbol to represent each quantity. You do not need to use every row and may add additional rows as needed. Now describe the overall procedure to be used, referring to the table above. Provide enough detail so that another student could replicate the experiment. As needed, use the symbols defined in the table and/or include a simple diagram of the setup. Be sure to address how experimental uncertainty could be reduced [Show More]

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