Rolling Billiard Ball: A Fun Physics Phenomenon!
Have you ever wondered how a striped billiard ball can make a stationary solid ball start rolling?
Yes, that phenomenon can be explained by the conservation of momentum in physics!
When a striped billiard ball rolls and strikes a motionless solid billiard ball, it transfers some of its momentum to the solid ball, causing it to start rolling as well. This interesting interaction is a great example of how momentum is conserved in physics.
How Does Conservation of Momentum Work?
The conservation of momentum principle states that the total momentum of a system remains constant if there are no external forces acting upon it. In the case of the rolling billiard balls, the total momentum of the system (the two balls together) before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision.
Explaining the Momentum Changes
After the collision, the momentum of the striped billiard ball decreases as it transfers some of its momentum to the motionless solid ball. On the other hand, the solid ball gains momentum and starts rolling due to the momentum transfer. Despite the changes in momentum for each individual ball, the total momentum of the system remains the same.
Final takeaway:The striped billiard ball loses some momentum to the solid ball upon collision, resulting in a decrease in momentum for the striped ball and an increase in momentum for the solid ball. However, the total momentum of the system remains constant, thanks to the conservation of momentum principle in physics.