Analysis 1. Which method (ballistic method or trajectory method) is more accurate in determining the initial speed of the ball?

- The Ballistic Method is more accurate to use in finding the initial speed of the ball. If we chose to use Trajectory Method, it is more prone to error because we will need to obtain the horizontal displacement of the ball. Since it is measured manually, the error in measuring is higher and will more likely produce inaccurate results. While in Ballistic Method, we will only need to acquire the increase in height of the pendulum in order to compute the initial velocity. 2. In Part 1 of the Experiment, is the total momentum of the system conserved? Explain. - Yes, the total momentum of the system is conserved. The Ballistic Method is an example of a perfectly inelastic collision, with this, the total momentum of the system is always conserved. 3. In Part 1 of the experiment, when is the total energy of the system not conserved? When is the total energy of the system conserved? - The total energy of the system is conserved during the collision. The total momentum before an inelastic collision is the same as after the collision. Since what is asked is the total energy not the total kinetic energy, the total energy is conserved because the total kinetic energy before and after the inelastic collision is different. Of course this does not mean that total energy has not been conserved, rather the energy has been transformed into another type of energy.

Conclusion 1. What causes the total momentum of the system to change? - Momentum, like mass, is also a conserved quantity, and there is a law that states that "the momentum in an isolated system is constant". This law is the law of conservation of momentum. The law of conservation of momentum is very useful in the analysis of collisions and explosions as it can be used to calculate the velocities of a body or bodies before and after the collision. Since momentum is a conserved quantity, external forces such as air resistance are the one that causes the total momentum of a system to change.

2. When the total momentum of the system is conserved, is the total energy of the system conserved as well? Explain. - Yes, both the energy and the momentum of the system are conserved. In an elastic collision, both kinetic energy and momentum is conserved. In an inelastic collision, the total momentum is also conserved but the total kinetic energy is not. An inelastic collision is usually accompanied by deformation of one or both bodies. This requires energy thus; the total energy is conserved but not necessarily the kinetic energy. 3. Is the total momentum of the system conserved in all kinds of collisions? Explain. - Yes, the total momentum in all kinds of collisions is conserved. In an elastic collision, both energy and momentum is conserved. In an inelastic collision, the total momentum is conserved but total kinetic energy is not conserved the kinetic energy is transformed into other kinds of energy. Also, the law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of the system before collision is equal to the total momentum of the system after collision.