Name:_____________

Class:_______( )
Ch.9 Momentum HW 3 Answer
Date:______________
Review Questions in Context (Ch.9)

A bullet of mass 4.5 g is shoot from a rifle at an initial speed u towards a steel wall. It
possesses kinetic energy of 1960 J. After the bullet hits the wall, it bonous off the wall
at a horizontal speed of 5 m s−1.

(a) Find the momentum and the speed u of the bullet before hitting the wall.
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(b) Find the change in momentum of the bullet.

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(c) The impact time of the bullet and the wall is 0.005 s. Find the net force acting on
the bullet by the wall and the net force acting on the wall by the bullet.
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Now another identical bullet is fired from the rifle at the same initial speed u towards
a wooden block resting on a smooth surface as shown. The bullet embeds in the
wooden block so that they move together at a common speed v’.

(d) Does the collision elastic or inelastic? Explain.

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(e) If v’ = 0.05u, find the mass of the wooden block.
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(f) If the surface is rough, a friction exerts on the block from the surface when the
bullet hits the block. The speed v’ of the bullet and the block decreases. Therefore
the total momentum of them appears to decrease. Briefly explain the apparent
loss of the momentum.
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Review Questions in Context ANSWER (Ch.9)

(a) Take the direction to the right as positive. The momentum of the bullet is given by

The momentum of the bullet is 4.2 kg m s−1 (towards the right).

By p = mu, the speed of the bullet before hitting the wall is given by

4.2 = 0.0045u ⇒ u = 933.3 ≈ 933 m s−1

The speed of the bullet before hitting the wall is 933 m s−1.
(b) The change in momentum of the bullet

= mv − mu

= m(v − u)
= (0.0045)(− 5 – 933.3)

= −4.221 ≈ −4.22 kg m s−1

The change in momentum of the bullet is 4.22 kg m s−1 (towards the left).
(c) By , we have

The net force acting on the bullet by the wall is 844 N (towards the left).

Since the net force acting on the bullet by the wall and the net force acting on the wall by the

bullet are an action–reaction pair, the net force acting on the wall by the bullet is 844 N (towards
the right).

(d) The collision is inelastic (perfectly inelastic precisely) because both the bullet and the wooden

block stick together after collision.

(e) By conservation of momentum, we have

The mass of the wooden block is 0.0855 kg.

(f) The common speed of the system of the block and the bullet decreases when they move on the

rough surface. So the rightward momentum of the system decreases. At the same time, the Earth

gains rightward momentum because it experiences a rightward friction acting from the block.

But the speed of the Earth is too small to be noticeable. The total momentum of the system of the
bullet, the block and the entire Earth conserves.