CHAPTER 4

MOMENTUM AND COLLISIONS

Momentum

Momentum of a body is defined as the product of the mass of the body and its velocity.

p = mv

p = momentum of a body m = mass v = velocity

Law of conservation of momentum

If there is no net external force acting on a system consisting of two bodies, the sum of the momentum of the two

bodies will remain constant.

Exercises

1. A bullet of mass 50 g leaves the muzzle of a gun with a velocity of 200 ms-1. Find the momentum of the bullet.

2. Find the total momentum of the following system.

(a) Two electrons each having mass m are moving towards each other with the speed of 0.01c.

(b) One of the two electrons having mass m is moving at a velocity of 0.01c while the other is moving at a velocity

of 0.02c in the same direction.

( c is the velocity of light and its value is 3 x 108 ms-1 )

3. If the velocity of a 0.02 kg bullet is 500 ms-1, find the magnitude of the momentum of the bullet. If the bullet is fired

towards the north, what is the direction of its momentum?

4. If the muzzle velocity of a 0.005 kg bullet is 500 ms-1, find the magnitude of the muzzle momentum of the bullet.

The gun is aimed and fired at a target in the north and then at a target in the east. Will the muzzle momenta of the

bullets be equal?

5. A bullet of mass 0.016 kg is fired from a 4 kg gun with a velocity of 600 ms-1. What is the recoil velocity of the gun?

6. A 60 kg man dived into the water with the velocity 20 ms-1 from a 120 kg boat. Find the recoil velocity of the boat.

7. A 0.03 kg bullet moving at a constant velocity hits a wooden block of mass 3 kg and continues to travel at the

velocity of 2 ms-1 together with the block. What is the velocity of the bullet when it hits the block?

8. A 0.2 kg marble is at rest on a smooth table. Another marble of mass 0.1 kg moving at a constant velocity of

10 ms-1 towards the east hits this marble and it recoils to the west with the velocity of 5 ms-1. Find the velocity of

the marble which was at rest?

Exercises
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Moment of a force ( Torque )

The moment of a force is the product of the magnitude of that force and the perpendicular distance

of its line of action from the fulcrum.

Principle of moments

If an object such as a bar or a plank is to be in balance, the total clockwise moment about the

fulcrum must equal the total anticlockwise moment.

total clockwise moment = total anticlockwise moment

Exercises

1. ( a ) A seesaw is pivoted at its centre. One boy weighing 250 N is sitting at the left-hand side, 3 m

from the fulcrum. Another boy weighing 225 N is at the other side. If the two boys are in balance,

find the distance of the second boy from the fulcrum.

( b ) A uniform metre rule weighing 4 N, pivoted at the 20 cm mark, is supported at the right-hand

end at the 100 cm mark,by a vertical thread. Find the tension in the thread.

2. If AB is a uniform metre rule which is balanced as shown in the diagram,

(a) what is the weight W of the rule?

(b) what is the reaction R?