Unit: Energy and Momentum Name:_________________

Lesson 5: Momentum & Impulse Date: _________________

Momentum
Any moving object has momentum, which depends on its:
1. Velocity
2. Mass

Momentum Formula

ρ = mv

where:
ρ = momentum in kg m/s (or a N∙s)
m = mass in kg
v = velocity in m/s

Momentum is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude AND direction where:
Right and Up are +
Left and Down are –

Example #1

Calculate the momentum of a 6.2 kg pumpkin traveling at a velocity of 5.0 m/s west.

ρ = mv
=(6.2 kg)(5.0 m/s)
= 31 kg m/s West

Example #2:
a) A baseball of mass 0.14 kg is moving at 35.0 m/s. Find the momentum of the baseball.
b) Find the velocity at which a bowling ball, mass 7.6 kg, would have the same momentum as the
baseball.

a) ρ = mv
= (.14kg)(35.0 m/s)
= 4.9 kg m/s
b) ρ = mv
4.9 kg m/s = 7.6 kg(v)
4.9 kg m/s = v
7.6 kg
v = .64 m/s
Unit: Energy and Momentum Name:_________________
Lesson 5: Momentum & Impulse Date: _________________
Remember:

Change = Final – Initial

What happens if the moving object has a change in velocity with respect to momentum?

Well that means the momentum must have changed.

We can then manipulate the momentum equation when there is a change in velocity to:

Δρ = mΔv
Δρ = m(vf-vi)

Example #3:
a) A 0.50 kg water balloon is thrown against a wall at 32 m/s coming to a stop. What was its change in
momentum?
b) A 0.50 kg bouncy ball is thrown at 32 m/s, bouncing back with the same speed. How does its change in
momentum compare to that of the water balloon?

a) Draw it out then

Δρ = mΔv
Δρ = m(vf-vi)
= .50 kg(0 m/s – 32 m/s)
= -16 kg m/s

b) Draw it out, noting that initial velocity is 32 m/s and the final velocity is -32 m/s because it bounces
back in the opposite direction.
Δρ = mΔv
Δρ = m(vf-vi)
= .50 kg (-32 m/s – 32 m/s)
= -32 kg m/s or 32 kg m/s west
Unit: Energy and Momentum Name:_________________
Lesson 5: Momentum & Impulse Date: _________________

Impulse
Impulse is the change in momentum.

The notion of impulse is derived from Isaac Newton’s second law → Fnet = ma
Fnet = ma
Fnet = m Δ(v/t)
Fnet t = m Δv

That must mean impulse is:

Fnet t = m Δv

Recall that a change in momentum is:

Δρ = m Δv

Then impulse is:

Fnet t= m Δv = Δρ

Impulse Formula


⏟𝐹𝑡 = ⏟
𝑚Δv = Δp
⏟
𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒
𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚

Ft = m Δv

Δρ = Ft

Δρ = ρf - ρi

where:
ρ = momentum in kg m/s (or a N∙s)
Fnet = Force in N
t = time in seconds
m = mass in kg
v = velocity is m/s
Unit: Energy and Momentum Name:_________________
Lesson 5: Momentum & Impulse Date: _________________

Example #4
Luigi is sick of taking orders. He swings a 9.0 kg hammer at 16 m/s when
Mario’s mustache brings it to a stop in 0.25 s. What is the net force exerted
on Mario’s mustache?
Fnet t = m Δv
Fnet = m Δv
t
Fnet = m (vf – vi)
t
= (9.0 kg)( 0 m/s – 16 m/s)
.25s

= -580 N

Example #5:
a) A soccer player kicks a 0.450 kg ball at 25.0 m/s east. If the goalie stops the ball by exerting 215 N of
force, how long does it take the ball to stop?
b) If the goalie stops a 6.5 kg bowling ball traveling at the same velocity in the same amount of time, how
much force is required?

a) Fnet t = m Δv
t = m Δv
Fnet
t = m (vf – vi)
Fnet
= (.450kg)( 0 – 25.0 m/s)
-215 N
= .52 s

b) Fnet t = m Δv
Fnet = m Δv
t
Fnet = m (vf – vi)
t
= (6.5 kg) (0 – 25.0 m/s)
.52 s
= - 3100 N
Unit: Energy and Momentum Name:_________________
Lesson 5: Momentum & Impulse Date: _________________
Example #6
A 125 gram baseball moving East (î) at 150. kph is hit by a baseball bat. The ball is on the bat for 0.0750
seconds and leaves the bat moving West (-î) at 92.0 kph. Find the net force (and direction) on the ball.

Theory of Impulse (let us theorize for a minute)

You can see that a change in momentum (impulse) depends on two factors… force and time interval.

To change an object’s momentum, think of the following situations:

1. You could apply a medium force over a medium time interval.
F Δt = Δp
2. You could apply a big force over a small-time interval and get the same impulse as in (1).
F Δt = Δp
3. Or, you could apply a small force over a long-time interval and still get the same impulse.
FΔt = Δp
Example #7:
Coaches for many sports such as baseball, tennis and golf can often be heard telling their athletes to “follow
through” with their swing. A golf ball has a mass of 46.0 g; if a golfer hits a golf ball 80.0 m/s, what is the
momentum of the ball? How much impulse is there if you make contact with the ball for 1 second? How much
impulse is there if you hit the ball for two seconds?
Δρ = mΔv
Δρ = m(vf-vi)
= .46 kg(80 m/s – 0 m/s)
= 3.68 kg m/s or 3.68 N s
Unit: Energy and Momentum Name:_________________
Lesson 5: Momentum & Impulse Date: _________________
Recall that momentum is a N s → This means that the longer you are in contact with an object, the more
impulse you can apply to the object. I.E. there is a greater change in momentum.
After 1 second you apply 3.68 Newtons Second
After 2 seconds you apply 7.36 Newtons Second → Therefore the longer you are in contact with the ball the
larger impulse you have, the larger change of velocity you have, the further the golf ball will go.

Example #8
How does this knowledge help a weaker player hit a ball farther than a stronger player?

The longer you are in contact with an object, the more impulse you can apply to the object.
A weaker player will want to keep their foot (for soccer), their bat (for baseball), their hockey stick (for
hockey), their golf club (for golf) in contact with the object (soccer ball, baseball, hockey puck, golf ball) for a
longer time.
Fnet Δt = Δp
Example #9

You are thrown into a brick wall, why you would want to come to a stop by hitting a haystack instead of a brick
wall with your car? In each case the impulse is the same (your mass stays the same, your Δv stays the same as
you go from x m/s to 0 m/s.)

Assume: mass of an object is 100 kg, and the velocity of the object is 20 m/s. Therefore, the momentum is 200
kgm/s or 200 Ns

If Ft = m Δv and the mass and velocity stay the same, what happens to the net force if we change how long it
takes to hit the wall?
1 - When you hit the brick wall… F Δt = Δp = Δmv
If it takes one second to hit the wall, you are hitting the wall with 200 N of force (200 Ns / 1 s)
Youch! All that force on your body is going to hurt! The impulse happened in a very short time period as such
there is a HUGE amount of force your body is feeling from the impact.

2 - But if it takes 10 seconds to hit the wall because the haystack is slowing you down then you will hit the wall
with a force of 20 N
When you hit the haystack... F Δt = Δp = Δmv
Since it takes longer to get to 0 m/s, there is not much force at all because the impulse is spread out over a long
period of time!

It’s the force that “hurts”, so you want it to be as small as possible by taking a long time before you make
contact with the object; in this case the wall.

You can use the same argument to explain hitting an airbag instead of a steering wheel, using a bungee cord
instead of a rope, or falling onto a wooden floor instead of a cement one.