Air Track Collisions

DCS Code: 1N30.30 Last Updated: March 27, 2026
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Purpose

Air track gliders with interchangeable attachments demonstrate elastic and inelastic collisions. Students observe that momentum is conserved in both cases, while kinetic energy is conserved only in elastic collisions.

Four black air track gliders arranged in two pairs on a green surface, with pin, wax cup, blade, and bumper attachments on their ends; two gliders have pink and green index card flags for visibility
Figure 1: Air track gliders configured with different collision attachments (pin-and-wax for inelastic, blade-and-bumper for elastic collisions). Colored index cards improve visibility in large lecture halls.