Exciting Physics Experiment: Gliders on an Air Track!

What happens when two identical gliders on an air track are released from a compressed spring?

What is the velocity of the glider that is not observed moving at 1.300 m/s?

Is the total kinetic energy of the two gliders after the collision greater than, less than, or equal to the total kinetic energy before the collision? And where does the extra energy come from or go?

Answer:

Part a) The velocity of the other glider is -0.300 m/s.

Part b) The total kinetic energy of the two gliders after the collision is greater than the total kinetic energy before the collision. The extra energy comes from the spring force between the gliders.

In a lab experiment, two identical gliders on an air track are held together by a piece of string, compressing a spring between the gliders. While they are moving to the right at a common speed of 0.500 m/s, one student holds a match under the string and burns it, letting the spring force the gliders apart. One glider is then observed to be moving to the right at 1.300 m/s.

In this scenario, the other glider would have a velocity of -0.300 m/s in the opposite direction due to the conservation of momentum.

Regarding the total kinetic energy of the two gliders, after the collision, it is greater than the total kinetic energy before the collision. This increase in kinetic energy is attributed to the spring force between the gliders, where the spring energy is converted into additional kinetic energy of the two blocks, leading to a higher total kinetic energy after the collision.