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LESSON 7
Linear Momentum and Impulse
Linear Momentum

Linear momentum of an object is the product of its mass and velocity. In

symbol, this is expressed as

p=mv

where: p = momentum
m = mass
v = velocity

The SI unit of momentum is kilogram-meters per second (kg-m/s)

Momentum is a vector quantity having the same direction as the velocity.

Like velocity, it can be resolved into rectangular components: px = mvx and py = mvy.
The equation
p = mv expresses the momentum of a single object or particle. For a system more than
one particle, the total momentum of the system is the vector sum of the momenta
(plural of momentum) of the individual particle:

Ptotal = p1 + p2 + p3 + … + pn

The change in momentum of a particle is equal to the difference between its

momentum before and after colliding to another particle. This is expressed as

∆p = pfinal - pinitial

Example 1:
A loaded transport truck with a mass of 38,000 kg is travelling at 1.20 m/s.
What will be the velocity of a 1400-kg car if it has the same momentum?

Solution:
Ptruck = (38,000kg) (1.20 m/s)
Ptruck = 45,600 kg-m/s

Pcar = (1,400 kg) vcar

Since the momentum of the car is equal to that of the truck,

45,600 kg-m/s = (1,400 kg) vcar

vcar = 32.57 m/s

M.E. Omiles Lesson 7. Linear Momentum and Impulse Physics for Engineers
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Example 2:
Two balls, 0.20kg and 0.30kg approach each other with speeds 15 m/s and 10
m/s, respectively. What is the total momentum of the system before colliding?

Solution:

PT = p1 + p2 = (0.20 kg) (15m/s) + (0.30kg)(-10m/s)

PT = 0 kg-m/s

Example 3:
A 0.50-kg ball hits a wall moving horizontally to the left at 8 m/s and rebounds
horizontally to the right at 5 m/s. What is the change in momentum of the ball?

Solution:

Just as you learned to do with vectors where signs give directions, (toward right-
positive, left-negative),

∆p = pfinal - pinitial = mvf - mvi

= (0.50 kg) (5 m/s) - (0.50 kg)(-8 m/s)
∆p = 6.5 kg-m/s

Example 4:
What is the total momentum of the system of particle shown in the figure
below?

P1 = 4 kg-m/s
P2 = 5 kg- m/s

P3 = 2 kg-m/s

Computing the x- and y- components of the momenta gives

Px = p1x + p2x + p3x = 0 + (-5 kg-m/s) + (2 kg-m/s)

Px = -3kg-m/s

Py = p1y + p2y + p3y = 4 kg-m/s + 0 + 0

Py = 4 kg-m/s

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Then,

PT = ( Px ) 2 + ( Py )2 = ( −3kg .m / s )2 + ( 4kg .m / s )2
PT = 5kg-m/s

Solving for direction,

Py 4kg.m/s
Tan  = =
Px 3kg.m/s

θ = 53.13o (from the negative x-axis on the second quadrant)

Impulse
What causes an object’s momentum to change? Force must be involved. Force
is needed to stop or start a car. The length of time that the force acts also affects the
change in momentum. These two quantities, the force and the time the force acts,
determine the impulse of the force.

Impulse is the product of the force and the time interval which the force acts
on the object. In symbol, this expressed as,

J = F∆t

where: J = impulse
F = force
∆t = time interval

The SI unit of impulse is Newton-second (N.s), also equivalent to kg.m/s.

Impulse-Momentum Theorem

When two objects collide, they exert force on each other (an application of
Newton’s Third Law of Motion). So, when a car has a head-on collision with another
vehicle, the car stops almost instantaneously. If the driver has not buckled up and
there are no air bags, he keeps moving until acted on by external force (Newton’s 1 st
Law). This force is supplied by steering wheel. To minimize injuries, air bags and seat
belts were invented. Why air bags and seat belts? What is the role of impulse and
momentum in this case? Impulse maybe manipulated to reduce force. How?

Let us first derive an equation relating the impulse of a force and the change in
momentum of an object on which the force acts. This can be derived from Newton’s
Second Law of Motion (F = ma) and kinematics equations.

F = ma

M.E. Omiles Lesson 7. Linear Momentum and Impulse Physics for Engineers
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v v f − v i
From kinematics equation, a= =
t t
 v f − vi 
F = ma = m 

  t 
(
F t = m v f − v i )
Ft = mv f − mv i
Since p = mv, then the equation becomes
F t = p f − p i
F∆t = ∆p
F∆t = J

Therefore,
J = ∆p ________ This is the impulse-momentum equation.

So, how do we manipulate impulse to reduce force? If there is a fixed change of

momentum in a situation, the force can be reduced by making ∆t longer. From the
impulse-momentum equation J = ∆p, and using J = F∆t,

J = ∆p
F∆t = ∆p
Then,
p
F=
t

So if ∆t is larger, F becomes smaller.

You can minimize impulse force on some occasions. For example, when
jumping from a height onto a hard surface, you try to land stiff-legged. The abrupt
stop (∆t) would apply a large force to your leg bones and joints and could cause injury.
If you bend your knees as you land, the impulse is the same, but by doing so, the time
interval (∆t) is increased, making the impulse force smaller.

Example 1:
A force of 30,000 N is exerted for 4.00 s, on a 95,000 kg mass.
a) What is the impulse of the force for this 4.00 s?
b) What is the mass's change in momentum from this impulse?

Solution:
a) J = F∆t = 30,000N(4.00 s) = 120,000N.s
b) J = ∆p
∆p = 120,000 N.s = 120,000kg.m/s

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Example 2:
A 1,000 kg car accidentally drops from a crane and crashes at 30 m/s to the
ground below and comes to an abrupt halt. What impulse acts on the car when it
crashes?

Solution:

Using sign convention for vectors (upward-positive, downward-negative),

J = ∆p = (mvf - mvi) = 1,000kg(0) - (1,000kg)(-30m/s)

J = 30,000kg-m/s = 30,000 N.s

Example 3:
A bat strikes a 0.154 kg baseball. Just before the impact, the ball is traveling
horizontally to the right at 50m/s, and it leaves the bat traveling to the left at an angle
of 30 degrees about the horizontal with a speed of 65m/s. If the ball and bat are in
contact for 1.75ms, find the horizontal and vertical components of the average force on
the ball.

Solution:

Solving for the horizontal and vertical components of the impulse,

Jx = ∆px = pfx - pix = mvfx - mvix

Jx = 0.154 kg (-65m/s cos 30o) – 0.154 kg (50 m/s) = -16.37 kg-m/s

Jy = mvfy - mviy = 0.154 kg (sin 30o) - 0 = 0.077kg-m/s

The horizontal and vertical components of the force are then,

Jx = Fx ∆t
Jx − 16.37kg.m/s
Fx = = = -9,354.29 N
Δt 1.75x10 − 3 s

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Jy 0.077 kg.m/s
Fy = = = 44 N
Δt 1.75 x 10 −3 s

Practice Problems:

1. If a force of 500N is exerted upon a 60 kg mass for 5 seconds, how much impulse
does the mass experience?

2. An 80-kg man and his car are suddenly accelerated from rest to a speed of 5 m/s as
a result of a rear-end collision. Assuming the time taken to be 0.3s, find the
a) impulse on the man
b) the average force exerted on him by the back seat of his car

3. A racket exerted an average force of 152.0 N on a ball initially at rest. If the ball has
a mass of 0.070 kg and was in contact with the racket for 0.030 s, what was the
kinetic energy of the ball when it left the racket?

4. A 100 g ball is dropped from a height of h = 2.00 m above the floor. It rebounds
vertically to a height of h'= 1.50 m after colliding with the floor. (a) Find the
momentum of the ball immediately before it collides with the floor and immediately
after it rebounds, (b) Determine the average force exerted by the floor on the ball.
Assume that the time interval of the collision is 0.01 second.

5. Many modern rifles use bullets that have less mass and reach higher speeds than
bullets for older rifles, resulting in increased accuracy over longer distances. The
momentum of a bullet is initially 8.25 kg m/s. What is the momentum if the speed of
the bullet increases by a factor of 3/2 and its mass decreases by a factor of ¾ ?

M.E. Omiles Lesson 7. Linear Momentum and Impulse Physics for Engineers