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Gr 9 Activity Sheet – Science Quarter 4

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Name: ____________________________________ Grade: ____________

L earning Competency
MELC No. 2: Relate impulse and momentum to collision of objects.

I ntroduction
Have you witnessed a collision between a bus and a car? Which do you think of the
two vehicles has the greater damage due to collision? Do the speed and the mass of the
moving bodies have something to do with the damage experienced in their collision? What
factors may contribute to the change in momentum? These are only a few questions that
could be raised in the topic impulse and momentum, but always remember that change in
momentum happen every time. Various devices have been installed in most cars to ensure
safety, aimed to increase the time of impact between the driver or passenger and the
crashing vehicle in the event of an accident.
The impulse-momentum relationship interprets a variety of phenomenon ranging from
impulses occurring in athletes, car collisions and even that of space rockets.

N ote to Remember
Newton’s Law of Inertia defines what happens to the body when force is absent, but
when force acts on the body, there is a change in the body’s motion. Let us consider the
following examples:

A car moving downhill gains momentum. A ball moving vertically upward decreases
momentum but as it moves downward it again gains momentum. A car moving with positive
acceleration has a greater momentum than a car moving with negative acceleration. In this
example speed has something to do with momentum.

Consider a jeepney and a bus moving at the same speed along a highway. Which do
you think is more difficult to stop? You probably would say the bus. Why? Because the bus
is more massive than the jeepney. So, mass is another factor that could affect the
momentum of a body.

Newtons concluded that the motion of a body is measured by the product of its
mass and velocity. This quantity is known as the body’s momentum (p):

p= m . v

Since velocity is a vector quantity, momentum is also a vector quantity with

magnitude and direction. The direction of an object’s momentum equals the direction of its
velocity. The units of momentum under the MKS and CGS systems are kg.m/s and g.cm/s,
respectively. Quantitatively, linear momentum is a measure of the difficulty encountered in
bringing an object to rest.

• The greater the object’s mass and velocity, the greater its
momentum.
• For stationary objects where velocity is zero, the momentum is
also zero.

Remember the following equations:

p= mv v= p/m
m= p/v

In Physics, an external force acting on an object over a specific time leads to a

change in momentum of the object. A special name is given to the product of the force
applied and the time interval during which it acts: impulse,

Impulse= force x time

Do you still remember Newton’s Second Law of Motion? It states that the net force is
directly proportional to the mass of a body and its acceleration. In equation form

F = ma

Since a= vf – vi, then F = m (vf – vi) /t

t
Rearranging the equation will give you

Ft = mvf – mvi

Since p=mv, then Ft = pf – pi

Or Impulse (Ft) = Change in momentum (∆p)

Ft = ∆p

From the equation we can see that the product of force and time, which is impulse,
equals the change in momentum. The above equation implies that for a fixed value of the
change in momentum, the impact force is smaller when the impact time is longer while the
impact force is greater when the impact time is shorter. Consider the situation below:
The egg is a naturally fragile material. However, the choice of material may prevent
the egg from breaking. If one throws the egg directly to a wall, it will definitely break.
However, if it thrown on a piece of cloth, the time of impact will be increased due to the
cushioning effect of the piece of cloth, it will lessen the impact force. Therefore, increasing
the time of impact results to a decrease of impact force.
K nowledge Power
Activity 1: Complete the paragraph by supplying concepts learned from the lesson.

Momentum and _____ (1) _____are interrelated concepts in Physics. _ (2) ____ is
the rate of change in momentum. ____ (3) _____ is a measure of the difficulty encountered
in bringing moving objects to __(4)___. ____ (5) _____ is the product of force on an object
and the time the force acts on the object.

Activity 2: Write True if the statement is correct and False if not.

_______1. More massive object has a greater inertia or momentum.

_______2. Two cars of the same mass but different velocities have the same momenta.
_______3. A faster car is more difficult to stop, it has more momentum.
_______4. A bowling ball has less momentum than a pingpong ball.
_______5. Increasing the time of impact, decreases the impact force.

Activity 3: Given the following data, solve for momentum using the formula p=mv.

Object Mass (kg) Velocity (m/s) Momentum kg.m/s

Pingpong ball 0.03 20

Bullet 0.004 500

Baseball 0.14 30

Activity 4: Applying the equation learned, answer the following problems:

1. A bowling whose mass is 3.0 kg is rolling at a rate of 2.5 m/s. What is its momentum?
2. A skateboard is rolling at a velocity of 4.0 m/s with a momentum of 8 kg.m/s. What is its
mass?
3. A pitcher throws a baseball with a mass of 0.6 kg and a momentum of 10 kg-m/s. What is
its velocity?

Activity 5: From the concepts that you have learned answer the following questions:

1. Which has more momentum , a huge truck that is not moving or a small toy cart that is
moving?
2. If these two vehicles a cargo truck travelling at 40 km/h or a small car travelling at the
same speed suddenly lose their breaks and crash against the brick wall, which would be
more damaging? On what factor would the impact of collision depend if their velocities
are the same?

Activity 6: Solve the following problems applying impulse-momentum equations.

1. Tiger woods hits a 0.02 kg golf ball, giving it a speed of 25 m/s. What impulse does he
impart to the ball.
2. An object having a mass of 10kg has its velocity change from 8 m/s to 3 m/s . Find the
objects change in momentum.

S ciquiz
Choose the LETTER of the best answer.
_______1. Which has more momentum, a heavy truck moving at 30 km/h or a light
truck moving at 30 km/h?
A. heavy truck
B. light truck
C. both have the same momentum
D. cannot be determined
_______2. A moderate force will break an egg. However, an egg dropped on the road
usually breaks, while one dropped on the grass usually does not break. This
is because for the egg dropped on the grass,
A. The change in momentum is greater.
B. The change in momentum is less.
C. The time interval for stopping is greater.
D. The time interval for stopping is less.
_______3. The impulse experienced by a body is equal to the change in its _______.
A. Velocity
B. Kinetic energy
C. Momentum
D. Potential energy
_______4. A 2 kg object has velocity of 3 m/s to the right. What is the magnitude and
the direction of the momentum?
A. 1.5 kg.m/s to the right
B. 1.5 kg.m/s to the left
C. 6.0 kg.m/s to the right
D. 6.0 kg.m/s to the left
________5. A lady tennis player hits an approaching ball with a force of 700 N. If she
hits the ball in 0.003 s, how much impulse is imparted to the tennis ball?
A. 0 N.s
B. 1.5 N.s
C. 2.1 N.s
D. 3.0 N.s

References:
Science Links 9, K-12 Edition 2014, Jonna M. Abistado, et. al, pp. 307-319
Science Grade 9, Learners Module,First Edition, 2014, pp 256-274
Science and Technology Physics,Updated Edition, Lolita M. Salmorin, et. al, pp 88-
93