MOMENTUM

1. (a) State the principle of conservation of linear momentum.

(b) The diagram shows two gliders on an air track. The magnets on the top of the gliders repel each other. The mass of glider A is 300 g and that of glider B is 100 g.
S A
N N S

Glider A is given a push to start it moving towards glider B which is initially at rest. Describe how you could determine the velocity of A before the gliders interact and the velocities of both A and B after the interaction. You may add to the diagram to show any additional apparatus required.
(6)

(c)

A student obtains the following velocities: = 5.2 cm s1 = 2.7 cm s1 = 7.5 cm s1

velocity of A before interaction velocity of A after interaction velocity of B after interaction

Show if these results confirm that momentum is conserved in the interaction. 2.

Two students are watching an action film in which a car drives down a ramp onto the back of a moving lorry. Both are moving at high speed, the car slightly faster than the lorry. One student complains that this is impossible because the car would not be able to stop before hitting the cab of the lorry. The car has mass 1250 kg and is moving at a speed of 28.0 m s1. The lorry has mass 3500 kg and a speed of 25.5 m s1. The length of the flat back of the lorry allows a braking distance of 5.0 m. By considering both momentum and energy show that the stunt is possible, provided a minimum force of

about 600 N slows the car down. You should support your explanations with calculations. Treat the situation as one in which two objects join together.
(Total 8 marks)

3.

A uranium-238 nucleus, decays to a thorium-234 nucleus according to the nuclear equation

+ particle

(a) The particle is emitted with a speed of 1.41 107 m s1 and a kinetic energy of 6.58 1013 J. Use this data to show that the momentum of the particle at the instant it is emitted is about 9 1020 kg m s1. (b) When a decaying uranium-238 nucleus is at rest, the thorium-234 nucleus moves with a speed of 2.4 105 m s1 in the opposite direction to the particle. Explain with the aid of a calculation how this is consistent with the principle of conservation of momentum. Mass of thorium-234 nucleus = 3.89 1025 kg
(3)

4.

The photograph shows an arrangement known as Newtons cradle. Five steel balls are freely suspended from a frame. One or more balls on one side may be pulled back and then released so that they collide with the remaining balls.

The diagram shows what happens when two balls are released.

Before

After

A student makes these measurements: mass of each ball speed of the two incoming balls at impact = 0.024 kg = 0.88 m s1

(a) (b) (c)

Calculate the total momentum of the two moving balls before the collision. Show that the kinetic energy of the two moving balls before the collision is about 0.019 J.

(2) (2)

The student notices that the number of balls moving away after the collision is always the same as the number of balls released. To understand why two balls move away after this particular collision, the student uses a spreadsheet to model the situation. He applies the principle of conservation of momentum to find the theoretical speeds at which different numbers of balls would move away together. He also finds the kinetic energy that these balls would have.
A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 0.024 0.048 0.072 0.096 0.12 1.76 0.88 0.59 0.44 0.35 0.0372 0.0186 0.0124 0.0093 0.0074 number of balls moving away after collision B mass of balls moving after collision (kg) C speed after collision (m s )
1

D KE after collision (J)

(i) (ii) (iii) 5.

State the condition required for the total momentum of all the balls to be conserved.
(1)

Show that the value in cell C8 has been correctly calculated.

What would be a suitable formula for the calculation of cell D9? The picture shows a toy with two plastic spheres, each suspended by plastic rods. Each sphere is able to swing freely in a vertical circle.

(1)

A student decides to carry out an experiment with the toy to investigate momentum. He allows one sphere to strike the other, and measures their speeds just before and just after the collision. The table shows his data for one collision. mass of sphere 1 mass of sphere 2 speed of sphere 1 before collision 54.0 g 29.0 g 2.57 m s1

speed of sphere 2 before collision speed of sphere 2 after collision

0 2.12 m s1

Pivot

Plastic rods 1 2 Sphere

Show that the speed of sphere 1 just after the collision is about 1.4 m sl. Assume that the mass of each rod is negligible. Determine whether this is an elastic collision or an inelastic collision. 6. The diagram is taken from the notes of an accident investigator after a collision in the countryside.
N W E 21.7 m S
45

(3)

Car 1 Car 2 23.9 m

Path of car 1

Path of car 2

The driver of car 1 said he was driving within the speed limit and car 2 suddenly drove across the junction in front of him. The driver of car 2 said that he obeyed the traffic sign and stopped at the junction. He looked carefully before moving slowly straight across the junction. He was suddenly struck by car 1. He thought he hadnt seen it because of the bend in the road 50 m away, and that it must have been speeding.

The investigator found the masses of both cars with their drivers and used a test car to find that the surface produced a deceleration of 3.43 m s2. The table shows some of the investigators notes. Car 1 Mass of car and driver/kg Distance travelled after collision/m Angle between path followed and main road/degrees Speed immediately after collision/m s1 Magnitude of momentum immediately after collision/kg m s1 1950 21.7 45.0 12.2 23 800 Car 2 1430 23.9 30.0

Show that the speed of car 2 immediately after the collision was about 13 m s1.
(2)

Calculate the magnitude of the momentum of car 2 immediately after the collision.
(2)

Next the investigator calculated the component of the momentum to the East immediately after the collision for each car. Calculate this component of the momentum for each car. East momentum component for car 1 = .......................................................... East momentum component for car 2 = ..........................................................
(3)

Hence determine whether car 1 was speeding before the accident. The speed limit was 17.8 m s1.
(3)

Explain, without calculation, how the investigator could use a conservation law to deduce that car 2 was travelling across the junction at speed.
(2)

7.

A neutron of mass 1.7 1027 kg travelling at 2.96 107 m s1 collides with a stationary nucleus of nitrogen of mass 23.3 1027 kg. Calculate the magnitude of the momentum of the neutron before it collides with the nucleus of nitrogen. (2) Given that the neutron sticks to the original nucleus after the collision, calculate the speed of the new heavier nucleus of nitrogen.
(3)

An elastic collision is one where kinetic energy is conserved. Make suitable calculations to determine whether this collision is elastic.
(3)

8.

A possible explanation for the extinction of the dinosaurs is that the Earth was struck by an asteroid. Studies are currently under way to find a way of avoiding such a collision in the future. One possibility is to change the orbit of an asteroid which is on a collision course with the Earth. This could be done by hitting it with a large mass in order to change its velocity. Simulations of the impact of a 5.8 106 kg mass on the asteroid Castalia, mass 1.2 1012 kg, have been

carried out to predict the effect. In all the simulations the two bodies join together on impact. The speed of the colliding mass was taken as 35 000 m s1, and that of Castalia as 25 000 m s1. Discuss whether this would be an elastic or an inelastic collision.
(2)

If the mass strikes Castalia at 90, sketch a momentum vector diagram labelled with the appropriate quantities. The diagram does not need to be drawn to scale.
(2)

Hence calculate the resulting change in Castalias direction.

Such an impact may fracture the asteroid and leave some fragments still on a collision course with the Earth. An alternative approach would be to apply a smaller steady force over a longer period, for example by using rocket engines. State a formula for net force in terms of momentum.
(1)

The momentum change of Castalia at the impact is 2.0 1011 N s. The average thrust of a typical rocket is 7 106 N, and it can burn for 130 s. Calculate the number of rockets required to produce the same change in Castalias momentum as in the collision above.
(2)

9.

The diagram shows an experiment with two trolleys.

A B

1.20 m s 1

Initially the trolleys are at rest, in contact, on a horizontal bench. A spring-loaded piston is then released in one trolley, pushing the trolleys apart. Describe an experimental technique by which you could determine accurately the speeds of the trolleys after they separate.
(3)

State the total momentum of the trolleys as they move apart, and explain your answer.
(2)

The masses of A and B are 0.95 kg and 1.40 kg respectively. B moves off at 1.20 m s . Calculate the speed of A.
(3)

10.

State the principle of conservation of linear momentum.

This principle is a consequence of two of Newtons laws of motion. Which two?

In one experiment to test the principle of conservation of momentum, a moving trolley collides with and sticks to an identical trolley which is initially at rest on a horizontal bench. Describe how you would check whether momentum was conserved.
(4)

A student performing this experiment found that the final momentum was always slightly smaller than the initial momentum. Assuming that the measuring technique was accurate, suggest a reason for this.
(1)

In a test laboratory, a car is crashed into a concrete wall and comes to rest. There is no damage to the wall. Explain how the principle of conservation of momentum applies to this situation.
(2)

11.

A car travelling at 30 m s1 collides with a wall. The driver, wearing a seatbelt, is brought to rest in 0.070 s. The driver has a mass of 50kg. Calculate the momentum of the driver before the crash. Calculate the average resultant force exerted on the driver during impact.
(3)

(2)

Explain why the resultant force is not the same as the force exerted on the driver by the seatbelt.
(1)

12.

The graph below shows how the momentum of this lorry varies over the first Minute.
4

Momentum/10 Ns

80

60

40

20

10

20

30

40

50

60

t/s

Define momentum.
(1)

State the physical quantity represented by the slope of this graph.

Determine the magnitude of this quantity at t = 20 s.

Explain the shape of this graph.

13.

According to Newtons second law of motion, the rate of change of momentum of an object is proportional to the resultant force F acting on it. Show how this statement leads to the equation F = ma where m is the mass and a the acceleration of the object.
(4)

When jumping from a height on to a hard surface, it is advisable to bend ones knees on landing. How does bending the knees affect the time one takes to come to rest? With reference to Newtons second law, explain why it is a good idea to bend ones knees.

(1)
(2)

14.

Define linear momentum.

The principle of conservation of linear momentum is a consequence of Newtons laws of motion. An examination candidate is asked to explain this, using a collision between two trolleys as an example. He gives the following answer, which is correct but incomplete. The lines of his answer are numbered on the left for reference. 1. 2. 3. 4. During the collision the trolleys push each other. These forces are of the same size but in opposite directions. As a result, the momentum of one trolley must increase at the same rate as the momentum of the other decreases. Therefore the total momentum of the two trolleys must remain constant. In which line of his argument is the candidate using Newtons second law?
(1)

In which line is he using Newtons third law?

The student is making one important assumption which he has not stated. State this assumption. Explain at what point it comes into the argument.
(2)

Describe how you could check experimentally that momentum is conserved in a collision between two trolleys.
(4)