MOMENTUM
GRADE 12
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CHANGE IN MOMENTUM
• When a moving object collides with another object, the velocity of
the objects will change.
• This causes a change in the momentum of both objects.
Change in momentum:
∆𝑝 = 𝑚∆𝑣
∆𝑝 = 𝑝𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 − 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙
∆𝑝 = 𝑝𝑓 − 𝑝𝑖
∆𝑝 = 𝑚𝑣𝑓 − 𝑚𝑣𝑖
∆𝑝 = 𝑚(𝑣𝑓 − 𝑣𝑖 )
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EXAMPLE 1
• A ball of mass 2 kg travelling East hits a wall with a velocity of
5 𝑚 ∙ 𝑠 −1 and rebounds at the same speed. Determine the change
in momentum of the ball.
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EXAMPLE 2
• A ball of putty with a mass of 2kg travelling East hits a wall with a
velocity of 5 𝑚 ∙ 𝑠 −1 and sticks to the wall. Determine the change
in momentum of the ball.
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EXAMPLE 3
At the Australian Open tennis
championship, a tennis ball
with a mass of 60 g moves
horizontally and hits the tennis
racquet of Serena Williams at
a velocity of 30 m-s¹. The
momentum of the ball
changes with 4,2 kg.m-s¹.
Calculate the velocity at which
she hits the ball back directly
after it hit the racquet.
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ACTIVITY
1. A cricket ball with a mass of 0,5 kg is bowled and hits a bat at an
initial velocity of12 𝑚 ∙ 𝑠 −1 , after which it travels in a westerly
direction at 15 𝑚. 𝑠 −1 . Calculate the change in the momentum
of the ball.
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CORRECTIONS
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CLASSWORK
1. A car of a mass 200 kg is travelling on the horizontal surface with
a velocity of 30 m·s⁻¹. what is the momentum of the car?
2. The blue whale is the largest mammal on the Earth. A female
blue whale swims at a velocity of 57 km.h⁻¹ west and has a
momentum of 2,15 × 10 ⁶ kg.m·s⁻¹. determine the whale’s
mass?
3. What will the velocity be if the momentum is 30 000 kg.m·s⁻¹.
and the mass of the car is 2 000 kg?
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CLASSWORK CONTINUES
4. Dancers must learn many skills, including how to land correctly.
A dancer of mass 50 kg leaps into the air and lands feet first on the
ground. She lands on the ground with a velocity of 5 m·s⁻¹. As she
lands, she bends her knees and comes to a complete stop in 0,2
seconds.
Calculate the magnitude of the net force acting on the dancer as
she lands.
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CORRECTIONS
1. p = mv = 200 x 30 = 6 000 kg·m·s⁻¹ (in the direction of the car/ in
the original direction)
2. 𝑝 = 𝑚𝑣
2,15 × 106 = 𝑚(57 ÷ 3,6)
𝑚 = 135,79 × 103 𝑘𝑔
3. p = mv
30 000 = 200 x v
∴v = 15 m·s⁻¹. (in the same direction as the momentum).
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CORRECTIONS CONTINUES
4. Upward as positive
FnetΔt = Δp = m(vf-vi)
Fnet x (0,2) = 50 x [0-(-5)]
Fnet = 1 250 N upwards
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IMPULSE
• Impulse : The product of the resultant/net force acting on an
object and the time the resultant/net force acts on the object.
Impulse is a vector quantity.
• Formula: Impulse = FnetΔt
• Also: Impulse = Δp= 𝑚𝑣𝑓 −𝑚𝑣𝑖 (Impulse-momentum theorem)
• Also: FnetΔt = Δp = Impulse
• SI Unit: Newton second (N·s) or kilogram meter per second
(kg·m·s⁻¹).
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SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
❖ For an Example: Egg Analogy Imagine dropping two identical eggs
(same momentum) from the same height:
Egg A: hits a concrete floor and shatters. The stop was instant (time
was tiny), so the force was massive.
Egg B: hits a thick pillow and survives. The pillow gave way,
increasing the time of the stop, which lowered the force.
Lesson: In both cases, the impulse (change in momentum) was
exactly the same because both eggs started at the same speed and
ended at zero. The difference in survival was entirely due to how the
force was spread out over time
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SAFETY FEATURES ON CARS SAVE LIVES
Airbags:
When a car crashes, a person’s head flies forward. Without an
airbag, the head hits the hard dashboard instantly (very small Δt),
resulting in a massive, deadly force
How it works: The airbag is soft and compresses.
Impulse Principle: It increases the time (Δt) of the impact.
Result: Because the stop takes longer, the net force (F) acting on
the head is greatly reduced, preventing skull fractures and brain
injury.
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SAFETY FEATURES ON CARS SAVE LIVES
Seatbelts:
If you weren't wearing a seatbelt, you would hit the windshield
almost instantly during a crash.
How it works: Modern seatbelts are designed to stretch slightly
rather than being completely rigid.
Impulse Principle: This stretch increases the time (Δt) it takes for
the passenger to come to a complete stop.
Result: By spreading the impulse over a longer time, the force (F) on
the chest and shoulders is lowered, preventing internal organ
damage.
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SAFETY FEATURES ON CARS SAVE LIVES
Arrestor Beds:
You usually see these on steep hills for trucks whose brakes have failed.
They are long strips filled with deep sand or loose gravel. How it works:
Instead of the truck hitting a concrete wall (which would stop it instantly
with a massive force), the truck sinks into the sand and slows down
gradually.
Impulse Principle: The loose sand increases the time (Δt) and distance
over which the truck stops.
Result: The average force (F) on the truck and the driver is much smaller,
allowing the vehicle to stop safely without crushing the cabin.
Summary for Exams: In all three cases, the change in momentum (Δp)
remains the same. By increasing the contact time (Δt), the net force (F) is
decreased, according to the principle F= ΔP/Δt
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EXAMPLE
A basketball player shoots a 0,65 kg basketball as shown below on
the graph of the net force vs time.
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EXAMPLE CONTINUES
1. Which physical quantity represent by the area under the graph?
2. Calculate the magnitude of the impulse provided to the
basketball.
3. Calculate the speed of the basketball when it leaves the hand of
the shooter.
4. Write down the rate of change of momentum.
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ACTIVITY
Percy, mass 75 kg, rides at 20 m·s⁻¹. on a quad bike (motorcycle
with four wheels) with a mass of 100 kg. He suddenly applies the
brakes when he approaches a red traffic light on a wet and slippery
road. The wheels of the quad bike lock and the bike slides forward
in a straight line. The force of friction causes the bike to stop in 8 s.
1. Define the concept momentum in words. (2)
2. Calculate the change in momentum of Percy and the bike,
from the moment the brakes lock until the bike comes to
a stop. (4)
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ACTIVITY CONTINUES
4. The Net force vs time graph represent a motion of an object mass
30 kg.
4.1. What does the of the square above represent?
4.2. Calculate the change in momentum of the object mass 30 kg.
4.3. Write down the rate of change of momentum.
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CONSERVATION OF LINEAR MOMENTUM
• Isolated System: A system on which the net external force is zero.
• External forces: are forces that originate from outside the system or
(object) and act upon it. (Applied force-pulling or pushing, gravitational
force, frictional force, air resistance, normal force, tension.
• Internal forces: are forces that act between objects within the system.
(when objects collide, the internal force is acting, the force that an
object exert on another object). According to Newton’s third law
• Principle of Conservation of Linear Momentum: In an isolated
system, the total linear momentum remains constant (conserved). This
means the total momentum before a collision or interaction is equal to
the total momentum after the collision or interaction
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CONSERVATION OF LINEAR MOMENTUM
Formula: p(initial) = p (final)
𝑝𝑖 = 𝑝𝑓
1. 𝑚1 𝑣𝑖1 + 𝑚2 𝑣𝑖2 = 𝑚1 𝑣𝑓1 + 𝑚2 𝑣𝑓2 (if the object moves separately
before and after collision) OR
2. 𝑚1 𝑣𝑖1 + 𝑚2 𝑣𝑖2 = (𝑚1 +𝑚2 )𝑣𝑓 (if the object combines after the
collision) OR
3. (𝑚1 +𝑚2 )𝑣𝑖 = 𝑚1 𝑣𝑓1 + 𝑚2 𝑣𝑓2 (during an explosion when 2
objects separate, e.g. a car and
trailer)
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EXAMPLE 1
A 2 kg block is at rest on a smooth, frictionless, horizontal table. A
bullet of mass 0.015 kg, travelling east at 400 m·s⁻¹, strikes the
block and passes straight through it with constant acceleration. The
block moves eastwards at 0.7 m·s⁻¹ after the bullet has emerged
from it. Ignore any loss of mass of the bullet and the block.
Calculate the magnitude of the velocity of the bullet immediately
after it emerges from the block
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EXAMPLE 2
Trolley A of mass 7.2 kg moves to the right at 0.4 m·s⁻¹ in a straight
line on a horizontal floor. It collides with a stationary trolley B of
mass 5.3 kg. After the collision, the trolleys lock together and move
to the right. Ignore any frictional effects.
Calculate the magnitude of the velocity of the trolleys immediately
after the collision.
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EXAMPLE 3
A spaceship moves in space at a speed of 250 m·s⁻¹. it fires a rocket
at enemy ship. The mass of the rocket is 1000 kg and that of the
spaceship (without the rocket is 8 x 10⁵ kg. the firing of the rocket
brings the spaceship to rest.
Calculate the velocity of the rocket after firing.
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ACTIVITY 1
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ACTIVITY 2
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ACTIVITY 3
A fully loaded handgun of mass 850g fires a bullet that has a mass
of 7,5g. The bullet exits the barrel of the gun at 380 𝑚 ∙ 𝑠 −1 travelling
to the right. Determine the recoil velocity of the gun.
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