Quantity of Motion Introduction Demonstration

Simulation Link:
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Momentum-and-Collisions/Collision-Carts/Collision-
Carts-Interactive

Case I. Predict the result of the collision between two equal-mass carts

If you were incorrect, show what actually happened below:

(a) Explain the result using Newton’s 3rd Law.

(b) Explain the result of the collision using the idea of “Quantity of Motion”.

(c) What will happen if the red cart moves faster before it hits the blue cart?

Case II. Predict the result of the unequal mass collisions (ratio of mass is 2:1)

If you were incorrect, show what actually happened below:

(a) Explain the result using Newton’s 3rd Law.

The heavier cart will transfer more energy to the lighter cart, so the lighter cart will move faster in the opposite direction,
and the heavier cart will move slower in the opposite direction

(b) Explain the result of the collision using the idea of “Quantity of Motion”.
The lighter cart will hit the heavier cart(which has more momentum) and the lighter cart will move in the opposite direction because the momentum
from the heavier cart is transferred into the lighter cart

(c) What will happen if the red cart moves faster before it hits the blue cart?
more energy will be transferred into the blue cart because the red cart will have more momentum than before

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 the cart at rest will be propelled in the opposite direction while the cart with less mass is
pushed in the opposite direction with less speed
Case III. Predict the result of the unequal mass collisions (ratio of mass is 2:1) stationary cart larger mass

If you were incorrect, show what actually happened below:

(a) Explain the result of the collision using the idea of “Quantity of Motion”.
Since the red cart has more momentum, that momentum is transferred to the blue cart so that it moves

(b) What will happen if the red cart moves faster before it hits the blue cart? the cart with more weight will transfer the
There will be more energy in the system, so the blue cart will move faster, and so will the red cart
energy into the lighter car launching it with
Case IV. Predict what happens if the ratio of masses is very large (5:1 or more) increased speed in the opposite direction

If you were incorrect, show what actually happened below:

(a) Explain the result of the collision using “quantity of motion”

Since the heavier cart has more momentum since it has more mass, the energy of the larger cart will be transferred into the lighter cart because the
momentum propels it in the other direction at a faster speed.

How we represent “Quantity of Motion”

(a) Quantity of motion appears to depend on two things. What are they?
mass and velocity
(b) What happens to the quantity of motion when we increase one or the other (or both of those) two things?
it increases

(c) Mathematically, how can we deal with quantity of these two contributors to quantity of motion (it is
important to remember that one of the contributors is a vector)?
you can multiply the mass and the velocity?
(d) Quantity of motion appears to not change (in a closed system). What does that mean?
The energy from one object is transferred to the other
(e) Write a momentum equation for at least one of the cases we examined above.
momentum = mass * velocity 3
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Re-examining the role of Newton’s 3rd Law in Collisions

𝛥𝑣 𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡
(a) Use 𝑎 = and 𝑎 = to derive (come up with algebraically) a new equation for Quantity of Motion.
𝛥𝑡 𝑚

(b) Why does the equation make sense?

as time increases, so does the momentum, because an object should lose momentum as time goes on, and as the net force increases, the
momentum also increases because with a greater force the object would have more mass or speed.