IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

Impulse = force acting over time.

Momentum = a quantity that expresses the motion of body and its resistance to slowing down. It is
equal to the product of the body’s mass and velocity.
I=Ft
where: I = impulse
F = force
t = time

p=mv
where: p = momentum
m = mass
v =velocity

IMPULSE-CHANGE IN MOMENTUM EQUATION

I = ∆p
F(∆t) = m(∆v)
F(∆t) = m(vF – vi)

Note: positive impulse = impulse in the same direction as the motion.

negative Impulse = impulse in the opposite direction as the motion.

LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM

If the system is composed of particles of mass mA, mB, etc., having velocities v1A, v1B, etc., and after
mutual reaction between the particles they possess new velocities v2A, v2B, etc., the condition that the
momentum of the system be constant may be expressed as:

mAv1A + mBv1B + … = mAv2A + mBv2B + …

v 2A - v 2B
e=−
v1A - v1B

where: mA = mass of object A

mB = mass of object B
v1A = velocity of object A before collision
v1B = velocity of object B before collision
v2A = velocity of object A after collision
v2B = velocity of object B after collision
e = coefficient of restitution
e = 1, for perfectly elastic collision
e = 0, for completely inelastic collision.

Example 1
What is the momentum of a 100-kg shell if the speed is 1,500 ft/s? Express your answer in metric
unit.
Example 2
What is the momentum of a 1.5 N baseball which is dropped from the top of the 170-m Washington
monument?

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Example 3
A 1000 kg car strikes a tree at 30 km/h and comes to a stop in 0.15 s. Find its initial momentum and
the average force on the car while it is being stopped.

Example 4
Two balls A and B, weighing 49 N each, approach each other, with speeds of 20 m/s and 30 m/s
respectively. Determine their speeds after the collision if (a) the coefficient of restitution is 0.80, and
(b) they are completely inelastic.

Example 5
A 16-gram is moving at 30 cm/s while a 4-gram mass is moving in an opposite direction at 50 cm/s.
They collide head on and stick together. What is their velocity after collision?

Example 6
A hunter has a rifle that can fire 60-g bullet with a speed of 900 m/s. A 40-kg leopard springs at him
at 10 m/s. How many bullets must the hunter fire into the leopard in order to stop him in his track?

Exercises

1. A 50-kg ball with a speed of 20 m/s strikes and sticks to a 70-kg block resting on a frictionless
surface. Find the block’s velocity.

2. The 25 g bullet hits the 15 kg stationary block with a horizontal velocity of 600 m/s. The
coefficient of friction between the block and the horizontal surface is 0.25. Assuming that the
bullet becomes embedded in the block, calculate the (a) velocity of the block after impact, and
(b) distance moved by the block after impact.

3. A 3-kg wooden block is lying on a horizontal table It is hit by a 5-g bullet which moves
horizontally. The bullet remains in the block after colliding with it. The block moves on a table
for a distance of 25 cm. The coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.2. Find the starting speed of the
bullet.

4. A tennis ball weighs 3 lbs approaches to a player’s racket at a velocity of 100 ft/s. The racket
is in contact with the ball for 0.04 seconds and exerts a force of 600 lb.
a) Compute the impulse of the force exerted by the racket.
b) Calculate the rebounding velocity of the tennis ball?

5. Example: Hitting a pitched baseball. A baseball of mass 0.14 kg is pitched at a batter with an
initial velocity of -38 m/s (negative is towards the bat). The bat applies an average force that is
much greater than the weight of the ball, and the ball departs from the bat with a final velocity
of +58 m/s. Assume that the time of contact with the bat is 0.0016 s, find the average force
exerted on the ball by the bat.