Chapter 4

Impulse & Momentum

DEFINITION OF LINEAR MOMENTUM

The linear momentum of an object is the product of the objects mass times
its velocity:

p mv

Linear momentum is a vector quantity and has the same direction as the
velocity.
Exercise 1
What is the magnitude of the momentum of a 28 g bird flying with a speed
of 8.4 m/s?

Answer = 0.24 kg m/s

PRINCIPLE OF CONSERVATION OF LINEAR MOMENTUM

The total linear momentum of an isolated system is constant (conserved).
An isolated system is one for which the sum of the average external forces
acting on the system is zero.

m1u1 m2u 2 m1v1 m2 v2

COLLISION
There are 2 types of collision:
i)Elastic

- Total kinetic energy is conserved.

- Total kinetic energy before is equal to after collision.

ii)Inelastic - Total kinetic energy is not conserved.

- Total kinetic energy before is not equal to after collisio
3

Elastic Collision
Linear momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.
Since the total kinetic energy is conserved, this means the initial total
kinetic energy cannot be transformed into other forms of energy like sound
and heat after the collision.
The two objects move separately after collision.

m1u1 m2u 2 m1v1 m2 v2

1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
m1u1 m2u 2 m1v1 m2 v2
2
2
2
2
The velocity of object 1 after collision, v1 :

m1 m2
2m 2

u1
v1
u 2

m1 m2
m1 m2
The velocity of object 2 after collision, v2 :

m2 m1
2m1

v2
u1

m1 m2
m1 m2

u 2

Exercise 2
A particle P of mass 3 kg moves to the right with a velocity of 4 m/s and a
particle Q of mass 2.5 kg moves to the left with a velocity of 10 m/s. Particle
P collides with particle Q and after collision, particle P moves with velocity
1.5 m/s in its original direction. Determine the velocity of particle Q after
collision.

Answer = 7 m/s to the left

Exercise 3
A ball of mass 0.44 kg moving East with a speed of 3.3 m/s collides headon with a 0.22 kg ball at rest. If the collision is perfectly elastic, what will be
the speed and direction of each ball after collision?

Answer = 1.1 m/s and 4.4 m/s, both to the right

InElastic Collision
Linear momentum is conserved , but not kinetic energy.
The final total kinetic energy could be less than the initial total kinetic
energy after an inelastic collision.
Part of the initial total kinetic energy would have been transformed into
other forms of energy like sound and heat after the collision.
The two objects move together after collision.

m1u1 m2u 2 ( m1 m2 )v
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
m1u1 m2u 2 m1v1 m2 v2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
m1u1 m2u 2 m1v1 m2 v2 E.L
2
2
2
2
7

Exercise 4
An 1800 kg car stopped at a traffic light is struck from rear by a 900 kg car
and two become entangled. If the smaller car was moving at 20 m/s before
the collision, what is the speed of the entangled cars after collision?

Answer = 6.67 m/s to the right

Exercise 5
A lorry of mass 2000 kg moving at a velocity of 72 km/h hits a stationary
lorry of the same mass. What is the total kinetic energy of both vehicles if
they stick together after collision?

Answer = 200 kJ

Exercise 6
A bullet of mass 2 g strikes a metal block of mass 3 kg suspended freely on
a string. The bullet rebounds in the opposite direction at speed 250 m/s and
the block starts to move at speed 0.5 m/s. Determine the initial speed of the
bullet.

10

Answer = 500 m/s

Exercise 7
Calculate the recoil velocity of a 5 kg rifle that shoots a 50 g bullet at a
speed of 120 m/s.

11

Answer = 1.2 m/s to the left

Exercise 8
An object of mass 1 kg moving at a speed of 5 m/s to the right collides
head-on with another object of mass 2 kg initially moving at a speed 4 m/s
to the left. After the collision, the two objects stick together and continue to
move in same direction. Calculate:
a)The velocity of each object after collision

Answer = 1 m/s to the left

b)

The amount of kinetic energy lost after collsion

12

Answer = 27 J

The Impulse-Momentum Theorem

DEFINITION OF IMPULSE
The impulse of a force is the product of the average
force and the time interval during which the force acts:

p m(v u )
F

t
t
Ft p J
Impulse is a vector quantity and has the same direction
as the average force.

newton seconds (N s)

Exercise 9
A golf ball of mass 0.045 kg is hit off the tee at a speed of 45 m/s. The golf
club was in contact with the ball for 3.5 10-3 s. Find ;
a)The impulse imparted by the golf ball.
b)The average force exerted on the ball by the golf club.

14

Answer = 2.025 kg m/s , 578.6 N

Exercise 10
A 0.145 kg baseball pitched at 39 m/s is hit on a horizontal line and turns
back toward the pitcher at 52 m/s. If the contact time between the pitcher
and the bat is 3 10-3 s, calculate the average force between the ball and
bat during contact.

15

Answer = -4400 N

The Principle of Conservation of Linear Momentum

Exercise 11

Ice Skaters

Starting from rest, two skaters push off

against each other on ice where friction is
negligible.
One is a 54-kg woman and one is a 88-kg
man. The woman moves away with a
speed of +2.5 m/s. Find the recoil velocity
of the man.

16

Answer = -1.53 m/s