Force and momentum

In order to change the momentum of an object, a force must

be applied (from Newton’s first law).

The rate of change of momentum of an object is

proportional to the resultant force acting on the object.

This is an alternative way of stating Newton’s second law

in terms of momentum.

In a tennis match, when a player

exerts a force on the ball, it
changes momentum. This means
the ball can change speed,
direction, shape or size, etc.

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Rate of change of momentum
Stated mathematically, Newton’s second law is: Δ(mv)
F=
Δt

m Δv
For constant masses this becomes F = = ma
Δt
It can therefore be seen that the familiar equation F = m a is a
special case of the more general equation for Newton’s
second law in terms of momentum.

The more general form of the equation is

necessary when mass is not constant, for
example for a space shuttle taking off.
The mass decreases as fuel is burned.

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Conservation of linear momentum
The principle of conservation of linear momentum states:

The total linear momentum of a system of interacting

bodies is constant, providing no external forces act.

This applies to collisions, where objects move together and

hit one other, and to explosions, where objects fly apart from
one another after initially being at rest.

collision explosion
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What is impulse?
The impulse of a force is defined as: impulse = F Δt

Impulse is a vector quantity with the same direction as the

force. It is measured in newton seconds (N s).

Newton’s second law in the form F = Δ(mv) / Δt can be

rearranged to give: F Δt = Δ(mv)

The quantity F Δt is the impulse of the force, so it can be

seen that
impulse = change in momentum

Note that N s are the same as kg m s–1 as expected since

impulse = Δ(mv), but N s are usually used for impulse.

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Force–time graphs

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Impulse and collisions

F Δt = Δ(mv)

Look at the equation for impulse. What determines how much

damage is done in a collision, and how can it be reduced?

The size of force controls

how much damage there is.

Momentum is conserved in
a collision, so impulse is
constant.

To reduce the force, the time

over which the collision takes
place should be increased.

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Applications
In a car crash, force and therefore damage is reduced by
increasing the amount of time over which a collision occurs.

Measures such as seat belts

can help with this. The seat belt
stretches slightly to prolong the
passenger’s impact with it.

Crumple zones also

increase the time over
which the collision takes
place, due to the time it
takes them to crumple.

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