Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and

Collisions
Reading assignment: Chapter 9.1 to 9.6
Homework : (due Monday, Oct. 22):
Problems: AE2, AE4, Q2, 1, 4, 10, 15, 17, 18, 20, 28, 32, 33, 38, 45, 58

 
• Momentum p  mv
• Momentum is conserved – even in collisions with energy
loss.
• Collisions
• Center of mass
• Impulse

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 Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and
Collisions

The linear momentum of a particle of mass m and velocity

v is defined as  
p  mv
The linear momentum is a vector quantity.
It’s direction is along v.

The components of the momentum of a particle:

px  m  vx py  m  vy pz  m  vz
Conservation of linear momentum

p   p  constant

or:
 p  p
i f

p1,i  p2,i  p1, f  p2, f

Black board example 9.1
(similar to blocks and spring HW problem)

You (100kg) and your skinny friend (50.0 kg)

stand face-to-face on a frictionless, frozen
pond. You push off each other. You move
backwards with a speed of 5.00 m/s.
(a) What is the total momentum of the you-and-
your-friend system?
(b) What is your momentum after you pushed
off?
(c) What is your friends speed after you pushed
off?
(d) How much energy (work) did you and your
friend expend?

Quick quiz and demo:

How are rockets (in space) able to change their velocity??
 Elastic and inelastic collisions in one dimension

Momentum is conserved in any collision, elastic and

inelastic.
Mechanical Energy is only conserved in elastic collisions.

Perfectly inelastic collision: After colliding, particles stick

together. There is a loss of energy (deformation).
Elastic collision: Particles bounce off each other without loss of
energy.
Inelastic collision: Particles collide with some loss of energy,
but don’t stick together.
Perfectly inelastic collision of two particles
(Particles stick together)
 
pi  p f Notice that p and v are
   vectors and, thus have a
m1v1i  m2v2i  (m1  m2 )v f direction (+/-)

Ki  Eloss  K f
There is a loss
1 1 1
m1v1i  m2v2i  (m1  m2 )v f  Eloss in energy Eloss
2 2 2

2 2 2
Elastic collision of two particles
(Particles bounce off each other without loss of energy.

Momentum is conserved:
   
m1v1i  m2v2i  m1v1 f  m2 v2 f

Energy is conserved:
1 1 1 1
m1v1i  m2 v2i  m1v1 f  m2 v2 f
2 2 2 2

2 2 2 2
For elastic collisions in one dimension:
Suppose we know the initial masses and velocities.
Then:
 m1  m2   2m2 
v1 f   v1i   v2i (9.20)
 m1  m2   m1  m2 

 2m1   m2  m1 
v2 f   v1i   v2i (9.21)
 m1  m2   m1  m2 

Note, that these are pretty specialized equations, (elastic collision in one dimension,
known initial velocities, and masses)
Black board example 9.2

Two carts collide elastically on a frictionless track. The first

cart (m1 = 1kg) has a velocity in the positive x-direction of
2 m/s; the other cart (m = 0.5 kg) has velocity in the
negative x-direction of 5 m/s.
(a) Find the speed of both carts after the collision.
(b) What is the speed if the collision is perfectly inelastic?
(c) How much energy is lost in the inelastic collision?
Black board example 9.3 and demo
Determining the speed of a bullet

A bullet (m = 0.01kg) is fired into a block (0.1 kg) sitting at the edge of a table. The
block (with the embedded bullet) flies off the table (h = 1.2 m) and lands on the
floor 2 m away from the edge of the table.
a.) What was the speed of the bullet?
b.) What was the energy loss in the bullet-block collision?

vb = ?

h = 1.2 m

x=2m
 Two-dimensional collisions (Two particles)
Conservation of momentum:

pi  p f
m1v1i  m2v2i  m1v1 f  m2v2 f
Split into components:
p x ,i  p x , f
m1v1ix  m2v2ix  m1v1 fx  m2v2 fx

p y ,i  p y , f
m1v1iy  m2v2iy  m1v1 fy  m2v2 fy

If the collision is elastic, we can also use conservation of energy.

Black board example 9.5
Accident investigation. Two
automobiles of equal mass approach
an intersection. One vehicle is
traveling towards the east with 29 mi/h
(13.0 m/s) and the other is traveling 13.0 m/s
north with unknown speed. The
vehicles collide in the intersection and
stick together, leaving skid marks at an
angle of 55º north of east. The second
driver claims he was driving below the ??? m/s
speed limit of 35 mi/h (15.6 m/s).
a) Is he telling the truth?
b) What is the speed of the “combined vehicles” right after the
collision?
c) How long are the skid marks (mk = 0.5)?
Motion of a System of Particles.
Newton’s second law for a System of Particles

The center of mass of a system of particles (combined mass M)

moves like one equivalent particle of mass M would move under
the influence of an external force.
 
Fnet  MaCM
Fnet , x  MaCM , x Fnet , y  MaCM , y Fnet , z  MaCM , z
Center of mass 
  mi ri
Center of mass for many particles: rCM  i
M

Black board example 9.6

Where is the center of mass

of this arrangement of
particles.
(m3 = 2 kg; m1 = m2 = 1 kg)?

Velocity of the center of mass: Acceleration of the center of mass:

 
  mivi   miai
vCM  i
aCM  i
M M
A rocket is shot up in the air and explodes.
Describe the motion of the center of mass before and after
the explosion.
A method for finding the center of mass of any object.

- Hang object from two

or more points.
- Draw extension of
suspension line.
- Center of mass is at
intercept of these lines.
Impulse (change in momentum)
   
A change in momentum is called “impulse”: J  p  p f  pi

tf
During a collision, a force F acts on  
an object, thus causing a change in p  J   F (t )dt
momentum of the object: ti

 
For a constant (average) force: p  J  Favg  t

Think of hitting a soccer ball: A force F acting over a time t

causes a change p in the momentum (velocity) of the ball.
 Black board example 9.6

A soccer player hits a ball (mass m =

440 g) coming at him with a
velocity of 20 m/s. After it was
hit, the ball travels in the
opposite direction with a velocity
of 30 m/s.
(a) What impulse acts on the ball
while it is in contact with the
foot?
(b) The impact time is 0.1s. What
average force is the acting on the
ball?
(c) How much work was done by the
foot? (Assume and elastic
collision.)