Question

Two balls, each with a mass of 0.5 kg, collide on a pool table. Is the law of conservation of momentum satisfied in the collision? Explain why or why not

Answer 1

During the collision between two balls on the pool table there is no external force along the line of collision between them

Since there is no external force on it so here we can say

$F = 0 = \frac{\Delta P}{\Delta t}$

here we have

$\Delta P = 0$

so we can say

$P_i = P_f$

since there is no external force so we can say during the collision the momentum of two balls will remain conserved

Answer 2

Sample Response: Yes, the law of conservation of momentum is satisfied. The total momentum before the collision is 1.5 kg • m/s and the total momentum after the collision is 1.5 kg • m/s. The momentum before and after the collision is the same.