MOMENTUM

1. Work out, giving your answers in kgm/s, the momentum of the following moving
objects:
a. A bowling ball of mass 6 kg travelling at 8 m/s.
Ans: Momentum=mass*velocity
=6 kg * 8 m/s
=48kg m/s.
b. A ship of mass 50000 kg travelling at 3 m/s.
 Ans: Momentum=mass*velocity
=50000kg*3m/s
=150000kgm/s
c. A tennis ball of mass 60 g travelling at 180 km/h.
Ans: 60g/1000kg
=0.06kg
[180*1000]/ [60*60]
=50m/s.
Momentum=0.06*50
=3 kgm/s

2. An air rifle pellet of mass 2 g is fired into a block of modeling clay mounted on a model
railway truck. The truck and modeling clay have a mass of 0.1 kg. The truck moves off after
the pellet hits the modeling clay with an initial velocity of 0.8 m/s.

a. Calculate the momentum of the modeling clay and truck just after the collision.
Ans: Momentum of truck and clay just after the collision=mass*velocity
= [0.002+0.1]*0.8
=0.102*0.8
=0.0816 kgm/s.
b. State the momentum of the pellet just before it hits the modeling clay.
Ans: Momentum of pellet before collision=0.002*v
c. Use your answers to a and b to calculate the velocity of the pellet just hits the
modeling clay.
Ans: Momentum before collision=Momentum after collision.
[0.002*v]+ [0.1*0] =0.102*0.8 or,
V=[0.102*0.8]/0.002
=40.8m/s.
d. State any assumptions you made in this calculations.
Ans: We assumed that momentum is equal before and after collision.
3. A rocket of mass 1200kg is travelling at 2000m/s.It fires its engine for 1
minute. The forward thrust provided by the rocket engines is 10 kN [10000N].
a. Use increase in momentum=F*t to calculate the increase in momentum of the
rocket.
Ans: Force=Increase in momentum/time
Or, increase in momentum=force*time
=10000*60
=600000kgm/s.
b.Use your answer to a to calculate the increase in velocity of the rocket and it’s
new velocity after firing the engines.
Ans: Now,
Increase in momentum=mass*Increase in velocity.
Or, Increase in velocity=Increase in momentum/time
=60000/1200
=500m/s.
New velocity after firing=2000+500
=2500m/s.
4. What is the equation of momentum? What is the unit of momentum? Is it a
vector or scalar?
Ans: Momentum before collision =Momentum after collision. The unit of
momentum is kg m/s.
Momentum is a vector quantity.
5. By using the relationship of momentum, acceleration and force, show that
F=ma.
Ans: Initial momentum of object=mu
Final momentum of object=mv
Therefore, increase in momentum=mv-mu
So, rate of increase in momentum= [mv-mu]/t
So, F= (CHANGE IN MOMENTUM) [mv-mu]/time taken[t]
F=[mv-mu]/t
= {m [v-u]}/t
Since, [v-u]/t=a
Then=ma.
6. For the following scenario find out the final velocity of the train.

The truck m1 has a mass of 5000kg and velocity is 3m/s. the stationary truck m2
has a mass of 10000kg.
Ans: [m1*u] + [m2*0m/s] = [m1+m2]*v
So, [5000kg*3m/s] + [10000kg*0m/s] = [5000kg +10000kg]*v
V= [15000kgm/s]/15000kg
=1 m/s.
7. Write down the Newton’s three laws.
Ans: Three laws of Newton are:
 First: things don’t speed up, slow down or change direction unless you push
or pull them
 Second: the bigger the force acting on an object, the faster the object will
speed up.
 Third: when you push something it pushes you back just as hard, but in the
opposite direction.