General Physics I

09. Center of Mass and

Linear Momentum
2025.04.01
9 Center of Mass and Linear Momentum

Goal:
• Center of mass & Newton’s second law
• Linear momentum
• Collision & Impulse
• Conservation of linear momentum
9-1 Center of Mass
Extend our discussion to an object with some size

• The center of mass of the

bat traces out a parabola,
just as a tossed ball does
• All other points rotate
around this point
9-1 Center of Mass
• For two particles separated by a distance d
9-1 Center of Mass
• For many particles,

• In three dimensions, we find the center of mass along each

axis separately:
9-1 Center of Mass
• For solid bodies, we take the limit of an infinite sum of
infinitely small particles → integration!

• We limit ourselves to objects of uniform density, ρ

• You can bypass one or more of these integrals if the object

has symmetry
9-1 Center of Mass
 9-1 Center of Mass
Example Subtracting
o Task: find com of a disk with another
disk taken out of it:
o Find the com of each individual disk
(start from the bottom and work up)
o Find the com of the two individual
coms (one for each disk), treating the
cutout as having negative mass
o On the diagram, comC is the center of
mass for Plate P and Disk S combined
o comP is the center of mass for the
composite plate with Disk S removed
9-2 Newton’s Second Law for a System of
Particles
• Center of mass motion continues unaffected by forces
internal to a system
9-2 Newton’s Second Law for a System of
Particles
9-3 Linear Momentum
• The linear momentum is defined as:

• We can write Newton's second law thus:

• System of particles
9-4 Collision and Impulse
In a collision, momentum of a particle can change
• We define the impulse J acting during a collision:

• the applied impulse =

the change in momentum of the object
during the collision:

• Given Favg and duration:

9-4 Collision and Impulse
9-4 Collision and Impulse
Steady stream of n projectiles with a momentum change Δp
• Impulse to the target:

• The average force:

• If the particles stop:

• If the particles bounce back with equal speed:
9-5 Conservation of Linear Momentum
For an impulse of zero,

Law of conservation of linear momentum:

9-6 Momentum and Kinetic Energy in Collisions
Types of collisions:
• Elastic collisions:
• Total kinetic energy is unchanged (conserved)
• A useful approximation for common situations
• Inelastic collisions: some energy is transferred
• Completely inelastic collisions:
• The objects stick together
• Greatest loss of kinetic energy

However, the total linear momentum is always

conserved!
9-6 Momentum and Kinetic Energy in Collisions
For one dimension:
• Inelastic collision

• Completely inelastic collision, for target at rest:

9-6 Momentum and Kinetic Energy in Collisions
For one dimension:
• The center of mass velocity remains unchanged:
9-6 Momentum and Kinetic Energy in Collisions
9-7 Elastic Collisions in One Dimension
Total kinetic energy & total linear momentum are
conserved!
• For a stationary target,
9-7 Elastic Collisions in One Dimension
Total kinetic energy & total linear momentum are
conserved!
• For a stationary target,

• Equal masses: v1f = 0, v2f = v1i: the first object stops

• Massive target, m2 >> m1: the first object just
bounces back, speed mostly unchanged
• Massive projectile: v1f ≈ v1i, v2f ≈ 2v1i: the first
object keeps going, the target flies forward at about
twice its speed
 9-8 Collisions in Two Dimensions
• Apply the conservation of
momentum along each axis
• Apply conservation of energy
for elastic collisions

Example For Figure 9-21 for a stationary target:

o Along x:
o Along y:
o Energy:
These 3 equations for a stationary target have 7 unknowns (since v2i = 0) :
if we know 4 of them we can solve for the remaining ones.
9-8 Collisions in Two Dimensions
9-9 Systems with Varying Mass: A Rocket
Rocket and exhaust products form an isolated system
• Conserve momentum: Pi = Pf

• The first rocket equation:

• R: the mass rate of fuel consumption

• The left side of the equation: thrust, T
• the second rocket equation:
Exercises
9.2.4. Two carts are placed on a horizontal air track. The mass of the
first cart is m and the mass of the second cart is 1.5m. The first
cart is accelerated to a speed v just before it collides with the
second cart at rest. What is the speed of the center of mass of the
system containing the two carts after the collision?

a) v

b) 4v/5

c) 2v/5

d) v/2

e) This cannot be determined without knowing if the collision is

elastic or inelastic.
9.4.4. A stone of mass m is dropped and falls freely under the
influence of gravity. Ignoring any effects of air resistance, which
one of the following expressions gives the momentum of the stone
as a function of time t? The local acceleration due to gravity is g.

a) 1
2
mgt 2

b) gt

c) 1
2
gt 2

d) mgt

e) g dm
dt
9.6.1. A football of mass m, initially at rest, is kicked so that leaves the
foot at a speed v. If t represents the duration of the collision
between the ball and the foot, which one of the following
expressions determines the magnitude of the average force exerted
on the ball?

a) mvt

b) (1/2)mv2

c) (1/2)mv2/t

d) mv/t

e) (1/2)mvt2