Chapter 8
Chapter 8 Momentum
The concept of inertia was introduced and developed both in terms of objects at
rest and objects in motion. In this chapter we are concerned only with the
concept of inertia in motion—momentum.
Momentum p is p=mv
Momentum
A truck rolling down a hill has more momentum than a roller
skate with the same speed. But if the truck is at rest and the
roller skate moves, then the skate has more momentum.
Can you think of a case where a roller skate and a truck would
have the same momentum?
Chapter 8 Change in Momentum
• The change in momentum depends on the force that acts and the
length of time it acts.
• The greater the force acting on an object, the greater its change in
velocity and the greater its change in momentum.
Chapter 8 Change in Momentum
• A force sustained for a long time produces more change in
momentum than does the same force applied briefly.
• Both force and time are important in changing an object’s
momentum.
• This idea of a force acting for a time is called impulse ,I.
• 𝐼 = 𝑓𝑡
Impulse Changes Momentum
When you push with the same force for twice the time,
you impart twice the impulse and produce twice the
change in momentum.
Impulse Changes Momentum
The quantity force × time interval is called
impulse.
impulse = F × t
The greater the impulse exerted on something,
the greater will be the change in momentum.
impulse = change in momentum
Ft = ∆(mv)
Impulse Changes Momentum
Decreasing Momentum
If you were in a car that was out of control and had to choose
between hitting a haystack or a concrete wall, you would
choose the haystack.
Physics helps you to understand why hitting a soft object is
entirely different from hitting a hard one.
Impulse Changes Momentum
If the change in momentum occurs over a long time, the
force of impact is small.
Impulse Changes Momentum
If the change in momentum occurs over a short time, the
force of impact is large.
Impulse Changes Momentum
When hitting either the wall or the haystack and coming to a
stop, the momentum is decreased by the same impulse.
• The same impulse does not mean the same amount of
force or the same amount of time.
• It means the same product of force and time.
• To keep the force small, we extend the time.
Impulse Changes Momentum
When you extend the time, you reduce the force.
• A padded dashboard in a car is safer than a rigid
metal one.
• Airbags save lives.
• To catch a fast-moving ball, extend your hand
forward and move it backward after making contact
with the ball.
Impulse Changes Momentum
When you jump down to the ground, bend
your knees when your feet make contact
with the ground to extend the time during
which your momentum decreases.
A wrestler thrown to the floor extends his
time of hitting the mat, spreading the
impulse into a series of smaller ones as his
foot, knee, hip, ribs, and shoulder
successively hit the mat.
Chapter 8 Momentum
•When a dish falls, will the impulse
be less if it lands on a carpet than if
it lands on a hard floor?
Chapter 8 Conservation of Momentum
•The law of conservation of momentum states
that, in the absence of an external force, the
momentum of a system remains unchanged.
Conservation of Momentum
The force or impulse that changes momentum must be
exerted on the object by something outside the object.
• Molecular forces within a basketball have no
effect on the momentum of the basketball.
• A push against the dashboard from inside does
not affect the momentum of a car.
These are internal forces. They come in balanced pairs
that cancel within the object.
Conservation of Momentum
The momentum before firing is zero. After firing, the net
momentum is still zero because the momentum of the
cannon is equal and opposite to the momentum of the
cannonball.
Chapter 8 Example 1
Mass of canon= 300 kg
Mass of canon ball is 30 Kg
Speed of ball 100 m/s
What speed will the cannon move back with?
Conservation of Momentum
The force on the cannonball inside the cannon barrel is
equal and opposite to the force causing the cannon to
recoil. The action and reaction forces are internal to the
system so they don’t change the momentum of the
cannon-cannonball system.
• Before the firing, the momentum is zero.
• After the firing, the net momentum is still zero.
• Net momentum is neither gained nor lost.
Conservation of Momentum
Momentum has both direction and magnitude. It is a vector
quantity.
• The cannonball gains momentum and the recoiling
cannon gains momentum in the opposite direction.
• The cannon-cannonball system gains none.
• The momenta of the cannonball and the cannon are
equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
• No net force acts on the system so there is no net
impulse on the system and there is no net change in the
momentum.
Conservation of Momentum
In every case, the momentum of a
system cannot change unless it is
acted on by external forces.
When any quantity in physics does
not change, we say it is conserved.
Conservation of Momentum
The law of conservation of momentum describes the
momentum of a system:
If a system undergoes changes wherein all forces are
internal, the net momentum of the system before and after the
event is the same. Examples are:
• atomic nuclei undergoing radioactive decay,
• cars colliding, and
• stars exploding.
Example 2 Conservation of Momentum
• An astronaut finds herself floating 100 m from her ship when her
safety cable becomes unattached. She knows from conservation of
momentum and Newton’s third law of motion if she throws
something, she will move in the opposite direction. If her mass
including spacesuit is 100 Kg and she has a 1 kg tool. If she throws the
tool at 10 m/s, will she be able to get back to the ship before her 20
min air supply runs out?
Collisions
Whenever objects collide in the absence of external
forces, the net momentum of the objects before the
collision equals the net momentum of the objects
after the collision.
Collisions
The collision of objects clearly shows the
conservation of momentum.
Collisions Elastic Collisions
When a moving billiard ball collides head-on with a ball at rest,
the first ball comes to rest and the second ball moves away
with a velocity equal to the initial velocity of the first ball.
Momentum is transferred from the first ball to the second ball.
Collisions Elastic Collisions
When objects collide without being permanently deformed
and without generating heat, the collision is an elastic
collision.
Colliding objects bounce perfectly in perfect elastic collisions.
The sum of the momentum vectors is the same before and
after each collision.
Collisions Elastic Collisions
a. A moving ball strikes a ball at rest.
Collisions Elastic Collisions
a. A moving ball strikes a ball at rest.
b. Two moving balls collide head-on.
Collisions Elastic Collisions
a. A moving ball strikes a ball at rest.
b. Two moving balls collide head-on.
c. Two balls moving in the same direction collide.
Collisions Elastic Collisions
•Kinetic Energy is
conserved in a
perfectly elastic
collision. Like two
gliders on and air
track to the right.
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
A collision in which the colliding objects become distorted and
generate heat during the collision is an inelastic collision.
Momentum conservation holds true even in inelastic collisions.
Whenever colliding objects become tangled or couple
together, a totally inelastic collision occurs.
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
In an inelastic collision between two freight cars, the
momentum of the freight car on the left is shared with the
freight car on the right.
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
The freight cars are of equal mass m, and one car moves at 4
m/s toward the other car that is at rest.
net momentum before collision = net momentum after collision
(net mv)before = (net mv)after
(m)(4 m/s) + (m)(0 m/s) = (2m)(vafter)
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
Twice as much mass is moving after the collision, so the
velocity, vafter, must be one half of 4 m/s.
vafter = 2 m/s in the same direction as the velocity before the
collision, vbefore.
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
The initial momentum is
shared by both cars without
loss or gain.
Momentum is conserved.
External forces are usually
negligible during the collision,
so the net momentum does not
change during collision.
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
•Kinetic Energy is NOT
conserved in an
inelastic collision. Like
two gliders on and air
track to the right.
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
External forces may have an effect after the collision:
• Billiard balls encounter friction with the table and the air.
• After a collision of two trucks, the combined wreck
slides along the pavement and friction decreases its
momentum.
• Two space vehicles docking in orbit have the same net
momentum just before and just after contact. Since
there is no air resistance in space, the combined
momentum is then changed only by gravity.
Collisions Inelastic Collisions
Perfectly elastic collisions are not common in the everyday
world. Drop a ball and after it bounces from the floor, both the
ball and the floor are a bit warmer.
At the microscopic level, however, perfectly elastic collisions
are commonplace. For example, electrically charged particles
bounce off one another without generating heat; they don’t
even touch in the classic sense of the word.
Different masses – Figure 8.15
•Incoming and outgoing velocities are very mass dependant.
𝑚𝑎 − 𝑚 𝑏 2𝑚𝑎
𝑣𝑎𝑓 = 𝑣 𝑣𝑏𝑓 = 𝑣
𝑚𝑎 + 𝑚𝑏 𝑎𝑖 𝑚𝑎 + 𝑚𝑏 𝑎𝑖
Chapter 8 Conservation of Momentum Example 3
• A 3 kg glider is moving to the right on a frictionless horizontal track at
8 m/s when it collides with a stationary 1.5 kg glider. Find the
magnitude and direction of A and B after the collision if the collision is
elastic.
𝑚𝑎 − 𝑚𝑏 2𝑚𝑎
𝑣𝑎𝑓 = 𝑣 𝑣𝑏𝑓 = 𝑣
𝑚𝑎 + 𝑚𝑏 𝑎𝑖 𝑚𝑎 + 𝑚𝑏 𝑎𝑖