Two low-friction curling stones slide on a horizontal ice sheet and interact only…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Laws of Motion · Laws of Motion
Problem
Two low-friction curling stones slide on a horizontal ice sheet and interact only with each other during a brief glancing collision. Stone 1 has mass 1.2 kg; Stone 2 has mass 1.5 kg. The measured velocity components (east is +x, north is +y) are given in the table.
Time
v1x (m/s)
v1y (m/s)
v2x (m/s)
v2y (m/s)
t=0 s (just before collision)
2.0
0.0
0.0
1.8
t=2.0 s (well after collision)
0.5
1.2
1.4
0.3
Assume friction between the stones and the ice is negligible over the time interval shown.
(a) Compute the total momentum vector of the two-stone system at t=0 s.
(b) Compute the total momentum vector of the system at t=2.0 s.
(c) Using quantitative comparison of your answers to parts (a) and (b), evaluate whether horizontal external forces on the system were negligible during the collision. Clearly state your reasoning.
(d) Identify one plausible experimental source of discrepancy that could cause a small difference between the total momenta you calculated in parts (a) and (b).