Chapter 7

Linear Momentum

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 Contents of Chapter 7

• Momentum and Its Relation to Force

• Conservation of Momentum
• Collisions and Impulse
• Conservation of Energy and Momentum in Collisions
• Elastic Collisions in One Dimension

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 Contents of Chapter 7

• Inelastic Collisions
• Collisions in Two or Three Dimensions
• Center of Mass (CM)
•

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 Let’s start with everyday language
What do you say when a sports team
is on a roll?
They may not have the lead but they
may have ___________

MOMENTUM

A team that has momentum is hard to

stop.
 What is Momentum?

An object with a lot of momentum is also hard to stop

Momentum = p = mv
Units: kg∙m/s
m=mass
v=velocity
Momentum is also a vector (it has direction)
 Let’s practice

• A 1200 kg car drives west at 25 m/s for 3 hours. What

is the car’s momentum?
• Identify the variables:
– 1200 kg = mass
– 25m/s, west = velocity
– 3 hours = time

P = mv = 1200 x 25 = 30000 kg m/s, west

 How hard is it to stop a moving
object?
To stop an object, we have to apply a force over a
period of time.
This is called Impulse
Impulse = FΔt Units: N∙s

F = force (N)
Δt = time elapsed (s)
 How hard is it to stop a moving
object?
• Using Newton’s 2nd Law we get
FΔt= mΔv

Which means
Impulse = change in momentum
 Why does an egg break or not
break?
• An egg dropped on a tile floor breaks, but an egg
dropped on a pillow does not. Why?
FΔt= mΔv

In both cases, m and Δv are the same.

If Δt goes up, what happens to F, the force?
Right! Force goes down. When dropped on a pillow,
the egg starts to slow down as soon as it touches it. A
pillow increases the time the egg takes to stops.
 Practice Problem

A 57 gram tennis ball falls on a tile floor. The ball

changes velocity from -1.2 m/s to +1.2 m/s in 0.02 s.
What is the average force on the ball?
Identify the variables:
Mass = 57 g = 0.057 kg
Δvelocity = +1.2 – (-1.2) = 2.4 m/s
Time = 0.02 s
using FΔt= mΔv
F x (0.02 s) = (0.057 kg)(2.4 m/s)
F= 6.8 N
 Car Crash

Would you rather be in a head

on collision with an identical
car, traveling at the same
speed as you, or a brick wall?

Assume in both situations you

come to a complete stop.

Take a guess

http://techdigestuk.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/car_crash.JPG
 Car Crash (cont.)

Everyone should vote now

Raise one finger if you think it
is better to hit another car, two
if it’s better to hit a wall and
three if it doesn’t matter.

And the answer is…..

 Car Crash (cont.)
The answer is…
It Does Not Matter!
Look at FΔt= mΔv
In both situations, Δt, m, and Δv are the
same! The time it takes you to stop
depends on your car, m is the mass of
your car, and Δv depends on how fast
you were initially traveling.
 Egg Drop connection

• How are you going to use this in your egg drop?

Which of these variables can you control?
FΔt= mΔv
Which of them do you want to maximize, which do you
want to minimize
(note: we are looking at the force on the egg. Therefore,
m represents the egg mass, not the entire mass of the
project)
 7-1 Momentum and Its Relation to Force

Momentum is a vector symbolized by the symbol p, and

is defined as
(7-1)

The rate of change of momentum is equal to the net

force:
(7-2)

This can be shown using Newton’s second law.

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Can a small sports car ever have the same momentum as
a large SUV with three times the mass of the sports
car?
 Example (Not in your packet)

• For a top player, a tennis ball may leave the racket on the
serve with a speed of 55m/s (about 120 mi/h). If the ball
has a mass of 0.060kg and is in contact with the racket for
about 4ms(4x10-3s), estimate the average force on the ball.
Would this force be large enough to lift a 60kg person?
Given: m=0.060kg; t= 4x10-3s; v1=55m/s
Formula: p=Ft; mv=Ft
Substitution: (0.060kg)(55m/s)=F(4x10-3s)
Answer w/unit: 825N

This force will be enough because the force required for a 60kg
person is 588N (60kg x 9.8m/s2)
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 Example 1
• Water leaves a hose at a rate of 1.5kg/s
with a speed of 20m/s and is aimed at
the side of the car, which stops it.
(That is we ignore any splashing
back.) What is the force exerted by
the car?
Given: m=1.5kg per second; t= 1s; v1=20m/s; v2=0m/s
Formula: ∆p=Ft; p=mv
Substitution: (1.5kg)(0-20m/s)=F(1s)
Answer w/unit: -30N

Why is the force negative?

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 Example 2

What if the water splashed back from

the car? Would the force on the car be
greater or less?

The force would be greater.

 7-2 Conservation of Momentum

During a collision, measurements show that the total

momentum does not change:

(7-3)

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 7-2 Conservation of Momentum

More formally, the law of conservation of momentum

states:
• The total momentum of an isolated system of objects
remains constant.

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 7-2 Conservation of Momentum

Momentum conservation works for a rocket as long as

we consider the rocket and its fuel to be one system, and
account for the mass loss of the rocket.

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 Example 3
A 10,000kg railroad car traveling at a
speed of 24.0m/s strikes an identical
car at rest. If the cars lock together as a
result of the collision, what is their
common speed afterward?

Given: ma&b=10000kg; v1a=24m/s; v1b=0m/s; v2a&b = ?

Formula: mav1a + mbv1b = mav2a + mbv2b
mav1a + mbv1b = (ma+ mb)v2a&b
Substitution: (10000kg)(24m/s)= (10000kg+ 10000kg)v2a&b
Answer w/unit: 12.0m/s

This is an example of inelastic collision which we will discuss

further later.
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 Example 4

Calculate the recoil velocity of a

5.0 kg rifle that shoots a 0.050 kg
bullet at a speed of 120 m/s.

Given: ma=5kg; mb= 0.050kg; v2b=120m/s; v1a&b=0m/s; v2a=?

Formula: mav1a + mbv1b = mav2a + mbv2b
Substitution: 0=(5kg)v2a + (0.050kg)(120m/s)
Answer w/unit: -1.20m/s

It is negative because recoil is backwards.

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 Conceptual Example (Not in notes)
• An empty sled is sliding on frictionless ice when Susan
drops vertically from a tree down onto the sled. When she
lands, does the sled speed up, slow down, or keep the same
speed? b) Later: Susan falls sideways off the sled. When
she drops off, does the sled speed up, slow down, or keep
the same speed?
a) Because Susan falls vertically onto the sled, she has no initial horizontal
momentum. Thus the total horizontal momentum afterward equals the
momentum of the sled initially. Since the mass of the system (sled +
person) has increased, the speed must decrease.
b) At the instant Susan falls off, she is moving with the same horizontal
speed as she was while on the sled. At the moment she leaves the sled,
she has the same momentum she had an instant before. Because her
momentum does not change, neither does the sled’s (total momentum
conserved); the sled keep the same speed.
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 Example (not in notes)
A gun is fired vertically into a 1.40 kg block of
wood at rest directly above it. If the bullet
has a mass of 21.0 g and a speed of 210 m/s,
how high will the block rise into the air after
the bullet becomes embedded in it?
Find the final speed.
Given: ma=1.40kg; mb= 0.021kg; v1b=210m/s; v1a=0m/s; v2a&b=?
Formula: mav1b + mav1b = mav2b + mav2b
mav1b + mav1b = (ma+ mb)v2a&b
Substitution: (0.021kg)(210m/s)= (1.40kg+0.021kg)v2a&b
Answer w/unit:3.10m/s
Find the height using conservation of energy (all KE is now PEG)
1/2v2 = gh
2 2
 7-3 Collisions and Impulse

During a collision, objects are

deformed due to the large forces
involved.
Since the force is equal to the
change in momentum divided by
time, we can write:
(7-4)

The definition of impulse:

(7-5)

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 7-3 Collisions and Impulse

Since the time of the collision is very short, we need not

worry about the exact time dependence of the force, and
can use the average force.

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 7-3 Collisions and Impulse
The impulse tells us that we can get the same change in
momentum with a large force acting for a short time, or a
small force acting for a longer time.

This is why you

should bend your
knees when you land;
why airbags work; and
why landing on a
pillow hurts less than
landing on concrete.
 Example 5
a) Calculate the impulse experienced when a 70. kg
person lands on firm ground after jumping from a
height of 3.0 m. b) Then estimate the average force
exerted on the person’s feet by the ground, if the
landing is stiff-legged and the body only moves 1.0
cm during impact, and c) if the person bends their legs
and the body moves 50. cm during impact.
a) Find the final speed using conservation equation
Given: m=70kg; h1=3m; v1=m?; v2=0m/s; h2=0
Formula: ½mv21 + mgh1= ½mv22 + mgh2
(m’s cancel out (same mass) and since v2&h2=0, those parts of the equation cancels)
½v + gh = 0 + 0
2
1 1
Substitution: ½v = -(9.8m/s )(3.0m)
2
2
2

Answer w/unit: -7.67m/s

Find the impulse using the impulse-momentum theorem.
J = m∆v
 Example 5
• a) Calculate the impulse experienced when a 70. kg
person lands on firm ground after jumping from a
height of 3.0 m. b) Then estimate the average force
exerted on the person’s feet by the ground, if the
landing is stiff-legged and the body only moves 1.0
cm during impact, and c) if the person bends their
legs and the body moves 50. cm during impact.
b) Find the average force if stiff-legged.
Given: m=70kg; v1=-7.67m/s; v2=0m/s
Formula: Fnet = Fground – Fgravity; Fground=ma + mg= m(a+ g)
(We have to use a kinematic equation to solve for a since we don’t have it.)
F = m[(v – v ) + g]
ground 2
2
1
2

2d
Substitution: (70kg)[(0 – (-7.67)2 + 9.8m/s2]
2(0.01m)
5
 Example 5
• a) Calculate the impulse experienced when a 70. kg
person lands on firm ground after jumping from a
height of 3.0 m. b) Then estimate the average force
exerted on the person’s feet by the ground, if the
landing is stiff-legged and the body only moves 1.0
cm during impact, and c) if the person bends their
legs and the body moves 50. cm during impact.
c) Find the average force if legs bent.
Given: m=70kg; v1=-7.67m/s; v2=0m/s
Formula: Fnet = Fground – Fgravity; Fground=ma + mg= m(a+ g)
(We have to use a kinematic equation to solve for a since we don’t have it.)
F = m[(v – v ) + g]
ground 2
2
1
2

2d
Substitution: (70kg)[(0 – (-7.67)2 + 9.8m/s2]
2(0.5m)
3
 7-3 Collisions and Impulse

The impulse tells us that we can get the same change in

momentum with a large force acting for a short time, or
a small force acting for a longer time.
This is why you should bend your knees when you land;
why airbags work; and why landing on a pillow hurts
less than landing on concrete.

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 7-4 Conservation of Energy
and Momentum in Collisions

Momentum is conserved
in all collisions.
Collisions in which
kinetic energy is
conserved as well are
called elastic collisions,
and those in which it is
not are called inelastic.

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 7-5 Elastic Collisions in One Dimension
Here we have two objects
colliding elastically. We
know the masses and the
initial speeds.
Since both momentum and
kinetic energy are
conserved, we can write
two equations. This allows v1 – v2 = - (v'1 – v'2)
us to solve for the two This equation works
unknown final speeds. only in 1-D not 2-D.
v= initial; v‘= final

For any elastic AND head-on collision, the relative speed of 2 particles after collision
Has the same magnitude as before (but opposite direction), regardless of mass!
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 Example 6

A billiard ball of mass m moving with speed v collides

head-on with a second ball of equal mass at rest. What are
the speeds of the two balls after the collision, assuming it is
elastic?
Given: ma=mb; v2b=?; v1b=0m/s; v2a=? (We have two unknowns so I will

Formula: v1a + v1b = v2a + v2b use the KE conservation eqn. and

add them to make one equation.

v1a – v1b = v2b - v2a
2v1a = 2v2b
Substitution: Get rid of the 2 and you will see that v1a =v2b
Answer w/unit: Since v1a =v2b, then v2a must now be 0m/s since
momentum is conserved.
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 Example 7
A proton traveling with mass of 1.01u (unified
atomic mass units) traveling with a speed of
3.60 x 104m/s has an elastic head-on collision
with a He nucleus. (mass of He=4.00u)
initially at rest [tough for a gas molecule!].
What are the velocities of the proton and
helium nucleus after the collision?
Given: ma= 1.01u; mb=4.00u; v1a= 3.60 x 104m/s v2b=?; v1b=0m/s;
v2a=? (We have two unknowns so I will use the KE

Formula: mav1a + mbv1b = mav2a + mbv2b conservation eqn. Solve for a variable in the

v2b - v1a = v2a equation to substitute into the main

conservation equation.)
mav1a = mav2b - mav1a + mbv2b
2mav1a = (ma+ mb)v2b
Substitution:2(1.01u)(3.60 x 104m/s)=(1.01u+4.00u)v2b
Answer
© 2014 Pearsonw/unit: v2b= 14500m/s Plug in your answer in for v to solve for v .
Education, Inc. 2b 2a
 7-6 Inelastic Collisions

With inelastic collisions, some of the initial kinetic energy is lost

to thermal or potential energy. It may also be gained during
explosions, as there is the addition of chemical or nuclear energy.
A completely inelastic collision is one where the objects stick
together afterwards, so there is only one final velocity.

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 Example 8
A 10,000kg railroad car traveling at a
speed of 24.0m/s strikes an identical
car at rest. Calculate how much of the
initial KE is transformed to thermal or
other forms of energy.

Given: ma&b=10000kg; v1a=24m/s; v1b=0m/s; v2a&b = 12.0m/s

Formula: KE1 = KE2+ E?
½mav1a2 =1/2(ma+ mb)v2a&b2 + other energy form
Substitution:
1/2(10000kg)(24m/s)2 =1/2(10000kg+10000kg)12.0m/s2 +E?
Answer w/unit: 1440000J

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 7-7 Collisions in Two or Three Dimensions
Conservation of energy and momentum can also be used
to analyze collisions in two or three dimensions, but
unless the situation is very simple, the math quickly
becomes unwieldy.

Here, a moving object collides with an object initially at rest. Knowing the
masses and initial velocities is not enough; we need to know the angles as well
in order to find the final velocities.
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 7-8 Center of Mass

In (a), the diver’s motion is pure translation; in (b) it is

translation plus rotation.
There is one point that moves in the same path a particle
would take if subjected to the same force as the diver. This
point is called the center of mass (CM).

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 7-8 Center of Mass

The general motion of an object can be considered as the

sum of the translational motion of the CM, plus
rotational, vibrational, or other forms of motion about
the CM.

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 7-8 Center of Mass

For two particles, the center of mass lies closer to the

one with the most mass:

where M is the total mass.

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 7-8 Center of Mass

The center of gravity is the point where the gravitational

force can be considered to act. It is the same as the
center of mass as long as the gravitational force does not
vary among different parts of the object.

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 7-8 Center of Mass

The center of gravity can be found experimentally by

suspending an object from different points. The CM
need not be within the actual object—a doughnut’s CM
is in the center of the hole.

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 7-9 CM for the Human Body

The x’s in the small diagram mark the CM of the listed

body segments.

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 7-9 CM for the Human Body

The location of the center

of mass of the leg (circled)
will depend on the position
of the leg.

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 7-9 CM for the Human Body

High jumpers have developed a technique where their

CM actually passes under the bar as they go over it. This
allows them to clear higher bars.

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 7-10 Center of Mass and Translational Motion

This is particularly useful in the analysis of separations

and explosions; the center of mass (which may not
correspond to the position of any particle) continues to
move according to the net force.

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 Summary of Chapter 7

• Momentum of an object: (7-1)

• Newton’s second law: (7-2)

• Total momentum of an isolated system of objects is

conserved.
• During a collision, the colliding objects can be
considered to be an isolated system even if external
forces exist, as long as they are not too large.
• Momentum will therefore be conserved during collisions.

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 Summary of Chapter 7

• (7-4)

• In an elastic collision, total kinetic energy is also

conserved.
• In an inelastic collision, some kinetic energy is lost.
• In a completely inelastic collision, the two objects
stick together after the collision.
• The center of mass of a system is the point at which
external forces can be considered to act.

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From the California Standards Test

Copyright © 2004 California Department of Education.

From the California Standards Test

Copyright © 2004 California Department of Education.

From the California Standards Test

Copyright © 2004 California Department of Education.