Unit 10 (Momentum) Practice Assessment

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. In the space next to the
question, indicate how much confidence you have in your answer (C = Confident; S = So-so; G = Guessed).
1. What are SI units for momentum?
A. N∙m B. J C. kg∙m/s D. kg∙m/s2

2. When comparing the momentum of two moving objects, which of the following is correct?
A. The object with the higher velocity will have less momentum if the masses are equal.
B. The more massive object will have less momentum if its velocity is greater.
C. The less massive object will have less momentum if the velocities are the same.
D. The more massive object will have less momentum if the velocities are the same.

3. Which of the following has the greatest momentum?

A. a tortoise with a mass of 275 kg moving at a velocity of 0.55 m/s
B. a hare with a mass of 2.7 kg moving at a velocity of 7.5 m/s
C. a turtle with a mass of 91 kg moving at a velocity of 1.4 m/s
D. a roadrunner with a mass of 1.8 kg moving at a velocity of 6.7 m/s

4. A roller coaster climbs up a hill at 4 m/s and then zips down the hill at 30 m/s. The momentum of the roller
coaster:
A. is greater up the hill than down the hill.
B. is greater down the hill than up the hill.
C. remains the same throughout the ride.
D. is zero throughout the ride.

5. If the velocity of an object is halved, how does its momentum change?

A. The momentum is doubled
B. The momentum is unchanged
C. The momentum is halved
D. The momentum decreases by √2

Use the following statement to answer the questions 6-9. A large truck collides with a small car.
6. Which undergoes the greater force?
A. the car B. the truck C. Both the same

7. Which undergoes the greater impulse?

A. the car B. the truck C. Both the same

8. Which undergoes the greater change in momentum?

A. the car B. the truck C. Both the same

9. Which undergoes the greater change in velocity?

A. the car B. the truck C. Both the same

10. If a constant force is applied to an object, which of the following is true?

A. The more time the force is applied the greater the change in velocity
B. The less time the force is applied the greater the change in velocity
C. The time the force is applied does not affect the change in velocity
D. The velocity only changes if the acceleration is zero

11. Which of the following equations can be used to directly calculate the change in an object’s momentum?
𝑚
A. 𝑚𝑣 B. C. ∆𝐹 ∙ 𝑡 D. 𝐹 ∙ ∆𝑡
𝑣

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12. In order to decrease the force of impact in a collision, you should:
A. Increase the time of the collision
B. Decrease the time of the collision
C. Speed up before the collision
D. Only collide with massive objects

13. Why do pole vaulters land in thick crash mats rather than on the ground?
A. The mats decrease the time of collision and so decrease the force
B. The mats decrease the time of collision and so increase the force
C. The mats increase the time of collision and so decrease the force
D. The mats increase the time of collision and so increase the force

14. Which of the following is NOT an example of increasing the time during which momentum changes so that the
force of impact is decreased?
A. Crashing into an air bag rather than the dashboard
B. Running on the grass rather than the concrete pavement
C. Following through when swinging a baseball bat to maximize the force on the ball
D. Wearing shoulder pads when playing football.

15. The law of conservation of momentum states that:

A. the total initial momentum of all objects interacting with one another usually equals the total final
momentum regardless of the nature of the forces.
B. the total initial momentum of all objects interacting with one another does not equal the total final
momentum regardless of the nature of the forces.
C. the total momentum of all objects interacting with one another is zero if the force of friction is present.
D. the total momentum of all objects interacting with one another remains constant regardless of the nature
of the forces between the objects.

16. Under what conditions is momentum NOT conserved?

A. Momentum is not conserved in elastic collisions.
B. Momentum is not conserved in collisions where the objects stick together.
C. Momentum is not conserved when friction is present.
D. Momentum is conserved in all interactions as long as we include all objects involved in the interaction.

17. A rubber ball moving at a velocity of +5 m/s hit a flat wall and returned to the thrower at –5 m/s. The momen-
tum of the rubber ball:
A. decreased and was conserved.
B. decreased and was not conserved.
C. increased and was conserved.
D. increased and was not conserved.

18. A ball with a momentum of +4.0 kgm/s hits a wall and bounces straight back without losing any kinetic en-
ergy. What is the change in the ball’s momentum?
A. –8.0 kgm/s B. –4.0 kgm/s C. 0.0 kgm/s D. +8.0 kgm/s

19. A ball is dropped from rest and accelerates toward the ground. In order for momentum to be conserved, what
object(s) must be included in the system?
A. The momentum of the falling ball alone will be conserved.
B. The momentum of the ball and the Earth will be conserved.
C. The momentum of the Earth alone will be conserved.
D. It is not possible for momentum to be conserved.

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20. A soccer ball collides with another soccer ball at rest. The total momentum of the balls:
A. is zero. B. increases. C. remains constant. D. decreases.

21. Two swimmers relax close together on air rafts in a pool. One swimmer’s mass is 48 kg, and the other’s mass is
55 kg. If the swimmers push away from each other:
A. their total momentum triples. .
B. their momenta are equal but opposite. .
C. their total momentum doubles.
D. their total momentum decreases.

22. After colliding, objects are deformed and lose some kinetic energy. Identify the type of collision.
A. elastic B. inelastic C. nearly elastic D. perfectly inelastic

23. Two balls of dough collide and stick together. Identify the type of collision.
A. elastic B. inelastic C. nearly elastic D. perfectly inelastic

24. One object collides with another object initially at rest. If the collision is inelastic, what happens to the mo-
mentum of the object that was at rest?
A. The momentum increases
B. The momentum decreases
C. The momentum remains unchanged
D. If the object is not moving before the collision, it never has momentum

25. What is true of the total momentum before and after a collision if the collision is inelastic?
A. It increases after the collision
B. It decreases after the collision
C. It remains constant before and after the collision
D. It is squared

26. In which type of collision is total kinetic energy conserved?

A. Only in elastic collisions
B. Only in inelastic collisions
C. Kinetic energy is always conserved
D. Kinetic energy is never conserved

27. In a perfectly inelastic collision, how do the KE before and after the collision compare?
A. The KE before the collision is greater than after the collision
B. The KE before the collision is less than after the collision
C. The KE before the collision is equal to that after the collision
D. There is never any K.E. before or after an inelastic collision

28. What type of collision is described when an object at rest collides with AND sticks to another object of the
same mass?
A. An inelastic collision
B. An elastic collision
C. An ideal collision
D. A theoretical collision

29. What could cause kinetic energy to NOT be conserved?

A. If friction was absent
B. If the collision was perfectly elastic
C. If the temperature remained constant
D. If the collision was inelastic

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30. Two objects with different masses collide and bounce back after an elastic collision. Before the collision, the
two objects were moving at velocities equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. After the collision,
A. the less massive object had gained momentum.
B. the more massive object had gained momentum.
C. both objects had the same momentum.
D. both objects lost momentum.

31. In an inelastic collision between two objects with unequal masses,

A. the total momentum of the system will increase.
B. the total momentum of the system will decrease.
C. the kinetic energy of one object will increase by the amount that the kinetic energy of the other object
decreases.
D. the momentum of one object will increase by the amount that the momentum of the other object
decreases.

32. A billiard ball collides with a second identical ball in an elastic head-on collision. What is the kinetic energy of
the system after the collision compared with the kinetic energy before the collision?
A. unchanged B. one-fourth as great C. two times as great D. four times as great

33. Which of the following best describes the momentum of two bodies after a two-body collision if the kinetic
energy of the system is conserved?
A. must be less
B. must also be conserved
C. might also be conserved
D. is doubled in value