Linear Momentum

&
Impulse
 Define Linear Momentum = product
of objects mass x velocity

A measure of how hard it is to stop an

object.

It is like a quantity of motion.

How is it different from inertia?

Momentum (p) depends on:
mass & velocity of object.

p = mv m in kg
v in m/s
Units are … kg m no name.
s
 Momentum is a
Vector Quantity

Same direction as velocity

All Energy KE too is a scalar

 Change in momentum
occurs any time an object changes
velocity (speed or direction).
 Momentum Change &
Newton’s 2nd Law

• F = ma
• F = m(v/t)
• Ft =mv m (vf - vi) for const mass.
• Ft = p Impulse direction is same as F.
p = Change in momentum
 Equations of Momentum Change
• Impulse J = change momentum.
• J =Ft = p pf – pi.
 p = mvf – mvi

• for velocity change with constant mass can

factor out mass you can write,

• m (vf - vi) or mv.

Increased force & contact time on
object give greatest p = mv.
The more time in contact, the less
force needed to change p.
The quantity Ft (or Ft) is called
impulse (J).

Impulse (J) is the momentum change.

It has the same units.

kg m or Ns
s
1. A bus driving east hits a mosquito flying west.
Compare the impacts of each on the bus and the bug:

• Time of impact
• Force
• Impulse
• p
• Acceleration
• Damage done.
Changing momentum: bringing objects to rest
with impulse.

• Catch the egg without breaking vs dropping on

ground.
• Fall from building onto cement vs. airbag.

Same impulse,
more time = less
force.
2. Find the change in momentum of a 1 kg
mass which is dropped and hits the floor with
a velocity of 8 m/s. It bounces back up with 6
m/s.

• p = m v.
• = 1 kg( - 8 m/s – 6 m/s)
• - 14 Ns
•Stand on a skateboard catch a ball and bring
it to rest or let it bounce off?

•Bouncing causes bigger impulse than

absorbing or giving with the motion.
Graphs
 Constant force F - t graph:
p /Impulse is area under curve
Force N Ft.
3. Non-Constant Force
Force vs. time graph. The area under the curve =
impulse or p change in momentum.

• How much impulse is each box on the graph?

• 5 Ns.
4. What is the change in velocity imparted
to the 0.8 kg object below?
IB Style Question
5. Water is poured from 0.5 m onto a pan balance at
30 L/min. Assume vf of water = 0. Wat = 1 kg/L.

• 1. Estimate the velocity of the water

upon hitting the pan. (Assume the
stream starts from rest).

• 2. Estimate the mass of water hitting

the pan each second.

• 3. Assuming the water’s velocity after

hitting the pan goes to zero, estimate
the reading on the pan balance in
grams.
• v2 = 2as.
• v2 = 2(10)(0.5) =
• v = 3.2 m/s

• Mass water/sec,
• 30 L / 60 s x 1 kg/ L = 0.5 kg/sec so in 1 second 0.5 kg
mass arrives at the pan balance.

• Water changes momentum Ft = mv.

• The force on the balance = mv/t,
• (0.5kg)(3.2 m/s)/ 1 s = 1.6 N

• = 160 grams.
 Hwk Kerr.
• Pg 72 # 6-7
 Newton’s First Law
• Object at rest or constant velocity has not
Fnet. Upward = Downward.
 Newton’s 3rd Law
• Object A exerts Force F, on object B, then
object B exerts equal but opposite force on
A.

• F a,b = - F b,a.
Conservation Momentum particle interaction
N3
• FAB = - FBA.
• Ft = mv
• mva = - mvb.
t t
• Contact time, t, is the same they cancel.
• m (vfa – via ) = - m (vfb – vib )
• Expand and rearrange, collect vi on one side,
vf on the other.
•  pi = pf (Conservation of momentum).
Conservation of Momentum

• If no external force acts on a closed system,

the total momentum within the system
remains unchanged even if objects interact.

• Momentum can be transferred between

objects.
 What is a system?
• Two or more objects that interact in
motion. One may transfer part or all of
its momentum to the other(s).

• Common examples: collisions,

explosions.
 6. Bounce a ball off the floor
• Did the momentum of the ball change?
• Was conservation of momentum obeyed?
•What happened to the momentum?
•How much momentum was gained by Earth?

•The ball’s mass is 0.25-kg. It’s initial speed was 5.0 m/s, and its
final speed was 3.0 m/s.

•What was the change in velocity of Earth due to the collision?

(mass Earth = 6.0 x 1024 kg.)

•The impulse on the ball:

•0.25 (8 m/s) = 2.0 Ns.

• 2.0 Ns = mv
• v = 2 Ns / 6 x 1024 kg
 To Calculate:
Pbefore = pafter
m1v1 + m2v2 = m1fv1f + m2fv2f

• v1 and v2 velocities for objects

one and two.
• m1 and m2 masses of objects
One Ball transfers all its momentum.
 Conservation of Momentum Calc’s

• Total momentum before = total after

interactions.
• The direction of the total momentum is
conserved as well.

• Collisions.
• Explosions
• Pushing apart.
 Elastic & Inelastic Collisions
Elastic: no KE (velocity) lost (to heat, light,
sound etc.) Usu. Involves objects that don’t make
contact.
KE before = KE aft.

Inelastic: involves greatest loss of KE (velocity).

Often objects stick together.
Recoil: objects initially at
rest explode or push apart
 Recoil illustrates conservation
of momentum where initial and
final momentum = 0.
0 = p 1 + p 2.
7. On July 4th my family likes to shoot off fireworks. One
rocket was shot straight up, climbed to a height 18-m
and exploded into hundreds of pieces in all directions at
its highest point.

Thinking about conservation laws, think about the

rocket at its highest point just before & just after it
explodes:

How does the rocket’s momentum compare before &

after the explosion?

How does its KE compare before & after the explosion?

Throw a ball off the wall.
• How is momentum conserved?
• What is the system?
 Systems, External & Internal Force

• If system is single astronaut, then external force applied by

astronaut 2, momentum not conserved –it changes.
• If system is 2 astronauts, then the force is internal and total
momentum is conserved.
 State Newton 3

• If 2 objects interact, the force exerted by on

object A by object B (Fa,b), is equal in
magnitude but opposite in direction to the
force exerted on object B by object A, (-Fb,a).
1. A lamp of weight W is suspended by a wire fixed
to the ceiling. With reference to Newton’s third law
of motion, the force that is equal and opposite to W
is the:

• A. tension in the wire.

• B. force applied by the ceiling.
• C. force exerted by the lamp on the Earth.
• D. force exerted by the Earth on the lamp
2. A student is sitting on a chair. One force that is
acting on the student is the pull of gravity.
According to Newton’s third law, there must be
another force which is:

• A. the upward push of the chair on the student.

• B. the downward force on the student.
• C. the downward push of the chair on Earth.
• D. the upward force on Earth.
3. What is the reaction force for the
following:

A 0.5 kg bird glides above the earth’s surface.

It’s wings push down on the air with its
weight, 5-N, so:
How can anything have Fnet and accelerate?

• Acceleration is caused by the Fnet on a single

object. It is the sum of all the forces.

• Action/Reaction occurs for different objects.

 Hwk in Kerr

• pg 72 # 8 – 9 Show work.
• IB set momentum .