Tutorial: Linear Momentum

1. (I) Calculate the force exerted on a rocket 4.1300

5 3 10kg/s
4
m/s.
when the propelling gases are being
expelled at a rate of with a speed of
2. (I) A constant friction force of 25 N acts on a 65-kg skier for 15 s. What is the skier’s change in velocity?
8. Air in a 120- wind strikes head-on the face of a km/h building 45 m wide by 65 m high and is brought to
rest. If air has a mass of 1.3 kg per cubic meter, determine the average force of the wind on the building.
9. (I) A 7700-kg boxcar traveling strikes a 518
.0 m/s
m/s. second car. The two stick together and move off
with a speed of What is the mass of the second car?
10. (I) A 9150-kg railroad car travels alone on 15.0 m/s.
a level frictionless track with a constant speed of A 4350-kg load, initially at rest, is dropped onto the
car. What will be the car’s new speed?
12. (I) A 130-kg tackler moving at meets head- 52..05 m/s.
m/s on (and tackles) an 82-kg halfback moving at
What will be their mutual speed immediately after the collision?
56.0
353
22. (I) A 0.145-kg baseball pitched at is hit on 5.00 .010
m/s.
m/s
23
s,
a horizontal line drive straight back at the
pitcher at If the contact time between bat and ball is calculate the force (assumed to be constant) between the
ball and bat.
23. (II) A golf ball of mass 0.045 kg is hit off 3.545
3 m/s.
102 3 s.
the tee at a speed of The golf club was in
contact with the ball for Find (a) the impulse imparted to the golf ball, and (b) the average force exerted on
the ball by the golf club.
24.(II) A 12-kg hammer strikes a nail at a velocity of 8.5 m/s and comes to rest in a time interval of 8.0 ms. (a)
What is the impulse given to the nail? (b) What is the average force acting on the nail?
34. (II) A 0.060-kg tennis ball, moving with a 4
3.50
00 m/s,
m/s.
speed of has a head-on collision with a 0.090-kg ball initially moving in the same direction at a speed of
Assuming a perfectly elastic collision, determine the speed and direction of each ball after the collision.
37. (II) A ball of mass 0.220 kg that is moving 37.85 m/s.
m/s with a speed of collides head-on and elastically
with another ball initially at rest. Immediately after the collision, the incoming ball bounces backward
with a speed of Calculate (a) the velocity of the target ball after the collision, and (b) the mass of the
target ball.
38. (II) A ball of mass m makes a head-on elastic collision with a second ball (at rest) and rebounds with a
speed equal to 0.350 its original speed. What is the mass of the second ball?
46. (II) A 920-kg sports car collides into the rear end of a 2300-kg SUV stopped at a red light. The bumpers lock,
the brakes are locked, and the two cars skid forward 2.8 m before stopping. The police officer, estimating the
coefficient of kinetic friction between tires and road to be 0.80, calculates the speed of the sports car at
impact. What was that speed?
 47. (II) You drop a 12-g ball from a height of 1.5 m and it only bounces back to a height of 0.75 m. What was the
total impulse on the ball when it hit the floor? (Ignore air resistance).

Answers

1. The force on the gas can be found from its 4.5 �10 4 m s
change in momentum. The speed of 1300 kg
of the gas changes from rest to , over the course of one second.
Dp mDv m
F=
Dt
=
Dt
= Dv
Dt
( )
= 4.5 �10 4 m s ( 1300 kg s ) = 5.9 �107 N, opposite to the velocity

The force on the rocket is

5.9 �107 N in the direction of the velocity . the Newton’s third law pair
(equal and opposite) to the force on the gas, and so is
r Dpm. Dv. r rr r
2. For a constant force, Eq. 9-2 can be written as D
Dpp =
= FDt.
For a constant mass object, Equate the two
expressions for
r
r r r FDt
FDt = mDv � Dv =
m If the skier moves to the right, then
the speed will decrease, because the friction force is to the left.
F Dt ( 25 N ) ( 15s )
Dv = - =- = -5.8 m s
m 65 kg The skier loses of speed. 5.8 m s

8. The air is moving with an initial � 1m s �

speed of Thus, in one second, a 120 km h � �= 33.33m s .
volume of air measuring 45 m x �3.6 km h �
65 m x 33.33 m will have been
brought to rest. By Newton’s third law, the average force on the building will be equal in magnitude to the
force causing the change in momentum of the air. The mass of the stopped air is its volume times its density.
Dp mDv V rDv ( 45 m ) ( 65 m ) ( 33.33m ) ( 1.3kg m3 ) ( 33.33m s - 0 )
F= = = = = 4.2 �106 N
Dt Dt Dt 1s

9. Consider the motion in one dimension, with the v = 0. positive direction being the direction of motion of the
B
first car. Let A represent the first car and B represent the second car. Momentum will be
conserved in the collision. Note that
pinitial = pfinal � mA vA + mBv B = ( mA + mB ) v ��
mA ( v A - v �
) = ( 7700 kg ) ( 18 m s - 5.0 m s ) = 2.0 �104 kg
10. Consider the mB =
v� 5.0 m s
horizontal
motion of the objects. The momentum in the horizontal direction will be conserved. Let A represent the car
and B represent the load. The positive direction is the direction of the original motion of the car.
pinitial = pfinal � mA vA + mBv B = ( mA + mB ) v ��
mA v A + m B v B ( 9150 kg ) ( 15.0 m s ) + 0
v�
= = = 10.2 m s
mA + mB ( 9150 kg ) + ( 4350 kg )
12. The tackle will be analyzed as a one- 0 dimensional momentum conserving situation. Let A
vBA <> 0.
represent the halfback and B represent the tackler. We take the direction of the halfback to be
the positive direction, so and
pinitial = pfinal � mA vA + mBv B = ( mA + mB ) v ��
They will m v + mBvB ( 82 kg ) ( 5.0 m s ) + ( 130 kg ) ( -2.5 m s )
� A A
be moving v = m + m = = 0.401m s �0.4 m s
A B
82 kg + 130 kg
it the
direction that the halfback was running before the tackle.

22. Choose the direction from the batter to the pitcher to be the positive direction. Calculate the average force from
the change in momentum of the ball.
Dp = Favg Dt = mDv �

23. (a) Dv �56.0 m s - ( -35.0 m s ) �

Favg = m = ( 0.145 kg ) � �= 2640 N, towards the pitcher
The Dt � 5.00 �10-3 s �
impulse is
the change in momentum. The direction of travel of the struck ball is the
positive direction.

in the forward direction

( ( ) )
, Dp = mDv = 4.5 �10 -2 kg 45 m s - 0 = 2.0 kg gm s

(b) The average force is the impulse divided by the interaction time.
, in the Dp 2.0 kggm s
forward direction F= = -3
= 580 N
Dt 3.5 �10 s
24. (a) The impulse given to the nail is the opposite of the impulse given to the hammer. This is the
change in momentum. Call the direction of the initial velocity of the hammer the positive direction.
Dpnail = -Dphammer = mvi - mv f = ( 12 kg ) ( 8.5 m s ) - 0 = 1.0 �10 2 kggm s
(b)
The average force is the impulse divided by the time of contact.
Dp 1.0 �102 kg gm s
Favg = = -3
= 1.3 �10 4 N
Dt 8.0 �10 s

34. Let A represent the 0.060-kg tennis ball, and vv == 3.00 m ss.
4.50m
BA
let B represent the 0.090-kg ball. The initial
direction of the balls is the positive direction. We have and Use Eq. 9-8 to obtain a relationship between the
velocities.
vA - vB = - ( vA�- vB�) � v�
B
= 1.50 m s + vA�
Substitute this
relationship into the momentum conservation equation for the collision.
mA vA + mBv B = mA vA�+ mBvB� � mA vA + mBvB = mA vA�+ mB ( 1.50 m s + vA�) �
mA vA + mB ( v B - 1.50 m s ) ( 0.060 kg ) ( 4.50 m s ) + ( 0.090 kg ) ( 3.00 m s - 1.50 m s )
vA�= =
mA + m B 0.150 kg
= 2.7 m s

v�
B
= 1.50 m s + vA�= 4.2 m s

Both balls move in the direction of the tennis ball’s initial motion.
37. Let A represent the moving ball, and let B vv�== vB-7.5
= 0,
3.8mm ss,.
AA
represent the ball initially at rest. The initial
direction of the ball is the positive direction. We have and
(a) Use Eq. 9-8 to obtain a relationship between the velocities.
vA - vB = - ( vA�- vB�) � vB�= vA - vB + vA�= 7.5 m s - 0 - 3.8 m s = 3.7 m s
(b)
Use momentum conservation to solve for the mass of the target ball.
mA vA + mB vB = mA vA�+ mB vB� �
( v - v�) ( 7.5 m s - -3.8 m s )
38. Use the mB = mA A A = ( 0.220 kg ) = 0.67 kg
relationships ( vB�- vB ) 3.7 m s
developed in
Example 9-8 for this scenario.
�m - mB �
vA�= vA � A ��
46. Use �mA + mB � vvA�v==.v0�.
B A B
conservation
of momentum m = A
�v - vA �� � v - ( - 0.350 ) A � �1.350 �
v
� �mA = �A mA = �
� � mA = 2.08m
�( -0.350 ) vA + vA �
B
in one �vA�+ vA � �0.650 �
dimension.
Call the direction of the sports car’s velocity the positive x direction. Let A represent the sports car, and B
represent the SUV. We have and Solve for
mA + mB
pinitial = pfinal � mA vA + 0 = ( mA + mB ) vA� � vA = vA�The kinetic D x.,
mA vA�
energy that the
cars have immediately after the collision is lost due to negative work done by friction. The work done by
friction can also be calculated using the definition of work. We assume the cars are on a level surface, so that
the normal force is equal to the weight. The distance the cars slide forward is Equate the two expressions for
the work done by friction, solve for and use that to find
Wfr = ( K final - K initial ) after = 0 - 12 ( mA + mB ) vA� 2

m + mB m + mB 920 kg + 2300 kg
( ) ( 2.8 m )
collision
vA = oA vA�= A 2 mk g Dx = 2 ( 0.80 ) 9.8 m s 2
Wfr = Ffr Dx cos180 m = A- mk ( mA + mmB A) g Dx 920 kg
- 12 ( mA + mB ) v=A�
2
= - mk ( mAs +
23.191m B)
�m23m g Dsx � vA�= 2 m k g Dx

47. The impulse on the ball is its change in momentum. Call upwards the positive direction, so that the final
velocity is positive, and the initial velocity is negative. The speeds immediately before and immediately after
the collision can be found from conservation of energy. Take the floor to be the zero level for gravitational
potential energy.
Falling: K bottom = U top � 2
mvdown
1
2
= mghdown � vdown = - 2 ghdown
The 0.11kg gm s , upwards .
Rising: K bottom = U top � 12 mvup2 = mghup � vup = 2 ghup

J = Dp = mDv = m ( vup - vdown ) = m ( )

2 ghup - - 2 ghdown = m 2 g ( hup + hdown )
= ( 0.012 kg ) (
2 9.80 m s 2 )( )
0.75 m + 1.5 m = 0.11kg gm s
direction of the impulse is upwards, so the complete specification of the impulse is