IGCSE PHYSICS/ EXTENDED/ QUESTIONBANK/2016 – 2018/ MOMENTUM

Q6. Figure shows two railway trucks on a track.

Truck A of mass 6000 kg is moving at 5.0m/ s. It is approaching truck B of mass 5000 kg,
which is stationary.

(a) Calculate the momentum of truck A.

momentum = ................................................................. [2]

b) the trucks collide, their buffers compress and then they bounce off each other,
remaining undamaged.

After the collision, truck B has a momentum of 27 000 kg m/ s.

i) Determine the impulse applied to truck B.

impulse = ................................................................. [2]

 IGCSE PHYSICS/ EXTENDED/ QUESTIONBANK/2016 – 2018/ MOMENTUM

ii) The trucks are in contact for 0.60 s.

Calculate the average force on truck B.

force = ................................................................. [2]

(iii) Calculate the final speed of truck A.

speed = ................................................................. [3]

Q7. Figure shows two cars, A and B, before they collide.

Car B, of mass 1200 kg, is stationary. Car A, of mass 2000 kg, is travelling towards car B at
18m/ s.
 IGCSE PHYSICS/ EXTENDED/ QUESTIONBANK/2016 – 2018/ MOMENTUM

(a) Calculate the momentum of car A.

momentum = ................................................................. [2]

b) The cars collide and car B experiences an impulse. Car A continues to move in the same
direction, with a momentum of 21 000 kg m/ s.

(i) Calculate the momentum of car B immediately after the collision.

momentum = ................................................................. [1]

(ii) Determine the average impulse experienced by car B during the collision.

impulse = ................................................................. [1]

iii) The cars are in contact for 0.20 s.

Calculate the average resultant force experienced by car B during the collision.

force = ................................................................. [2]

(c) A modern car is designed so that, during a collision, the front section of the car
is crushed and the time of contact increases.
 IGCSE PHYSICS/ EXTENDED/ QUESTIONBANK/2016 – 2018/ MOMENTUM

Explain the benefit of increasing the time of contact for the people in the car.
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [2]

Q8. (a) (i) State an expression for the kinetic energy of an object of mass m that is moving
with a speed v.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) State and explain whether kinetic energy is a scalar quantity or a vector quantity.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) Figure shows two fairground “bumper” cars.

The car with passengers, of total mass 200 kg, is moving in a straight line. It is travelling at
2.5 m / s when it hits a stationary empty car of mass 50 kg.
 IGCSE PHYSICS/ EXTENDED/ QUESTIONBANK/2016 – 2018/ MOMENTUM

After the collision, the empty car moves forwards in the same direction at a speed of 4.0
m/s.

For the car with passengers, determine

(i) its momentum when it is travelling at 2.5 m / s,

momentum = .......................................................... [2]

(ii) the speed and direction of its motion immediately after the collision.

Speed = ...............................................................

direction: ............................................................... [3]

(iii) Fixed to the front and the back of the cars are large springs.

When the cars collide, the springs compress.

The total kinetic energy of the cars after the collision is equal to the total kinetic energy
before the collision.

Describe the energy transfers that occur as the cars collide and then separate.
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................... [2]
 IGCSE PHYSICS/ EXTENDED/ QUESTIONBANK/2016 – 2018/ MOMENTUM

Q9. (a) (i) State how a vector quantity differs from a scalar quantity.
...........................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) State and explain whether momentum is a vector quantity or a scalar quantity.
...........................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) A spacecraft of mass 35 kg is travelling in a straight line at a velocity of 1200 m/s.

Assume no external forces act on the spacecraft.

Calculate

(i) the momentum of the spacecraft,

momentum = .......................................................... [2]

(ii) the kinetic energy of the spacecraft.

kinetic energy = .......................................................... [2]

(c) The rocket fuel stored in the moving spacecraft in (b) explodes and the spacecraft splits
into two sections.

One section speeds up and the other section slows down.

(i) State what happens to the total momentum.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]
 IGCSE PHYSICS/ EXTENDED/ QUESTIONBANK/2016 – 2018/ MOMENTUM

(ii) Predict and explain what happens to the total kinetic energy.
...........................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................... [2]