Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.

7)

Chapter 7 Linear Momentum

From page 234

In Chapter 4 we learned how to determine the acceleration of an object by finding the net
force acting on it and applying Newton’s second law of motion. If the force happens to
be constant, then the resulting constant acceleration enables us to calculate changes in
velocity and position. Calculating velocity and position changes when the forces are not
constant is much more difficult. In many cases, the forces cannot even be easily
determined. Conservation of energy is one tool that enables us to draw conclusions about
motion without knowing all the details of the forces acting….
In this chapter we develop another conservation law. Conservation laws are
powerful tools. If a quantity is conserved, then no matter how complicated the situation,
we can set the value of the conserved quantity at one time equal to its value at a later
time….
The new conserved quantity, momentum, is a vector quantity, in contrast to
energy, which is a scalar. When momentum is conserved, both the magnitude and
direction of the momentum must be constant. Equivalently, the x- and y-components of
momentum are constant. When we find the total momentum of more than one object, we
must add the momentum vectors according to the procedure by which vectors are always
added.

Definition of linear momentum

 
An object with mass m and moving with velocity v has linear momentum p
 
p  mv

Impulse-Momentum Theorem
Starting with Newton’s second law
 
 F  ma
and using the definition of acceleration

 v
a
t

we have

 
v
 F  m
t

If the mass is constant, we can pull it inside the  operator

 (mv )
 F  t
Lesson 9, page 1
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

 p
 F  t
  
p  J total   Ft

This states that the change in linear momentum is caused by the impulse. The quantity
 
J   Ft

is called the impulse. For situations where the force is not constant, we use the average force,
 
J   Favt

Restatement of Newton’s second law

There is a more general form of Newton’s second law

 
p
 F  lim
t 0 t

The net force is the rate of change of momentum.

Many Particles
 
If many particles m1, m2, etc. are moving with velocities v1 , v 2 , etc., the total linear momentum
of the system is the vector sum of the individual momenta,
  
p   pi   mi v i
i i

Linear momentum is a vector quantity. We have to use our familiar rules for vector addition
when dealing
with
momentum.

The
applications of
the impulse-
momentum
theorem are
unlimited. In
an automobile
we have

Lesson 9, page 2
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

crumple zones, air bags, and bumpers. What do seat

belts do?

Here is another example:

The idea is to lengthen the time t during which the

force acts, so that the force is diminished while
changing the momentum a defined amount.

Problem 17. An automobile traveling at a speed of

30.0 m/s applies its brakes and comes to a stop in 5.0
s. If the automobile has a mass of 1.0×103 kg, what
is the average horizontal force exerted on it during
braking. Assume the road is level.

Solution: A FBD for the situation would be

mg
We would use the impulse-momentum theorem
 
p   Ft

To use a vector equation we need to take components

px   Fx t

The change in momentum is

px  p fx  pix  mv fx  mvix  0  (1000 kg)(3.0 m/s )  3000 kg  m/s

px   Fx t
 Fav, x t
px  3000 kg  m/s
Fav, x    600 kg  m/s 2  600 N
t 5s

The average braking force acts to the left and is 600 N. Additionally, the work done on the car to
stop it is

Lesson 9, page 3
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

Wnc  K  U  ( K f  Ki )  0  0  12 (1000 kg)(30 m/s )2  4.50 105 J

and the corresponding power is

W  4.50  105 J
P   90,000 W
t 5.0 s

Conservation of Linear Momentum

Consider the collision between two pucks. When they collide, they exert forces on each other,
 
F12 and F21

By Newton’s third law,

 
F12  F21

The total force acting on both pucks is then

  
F  F 12  F21  0

(Recall that since ay = 0 for both pucks, the y-component of the net force is zero.) By the
impulse-momentum theorem
 
p   Ft
0

Which leads to
 
pi  p f

Lesson 9, page 4
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

In a system composed of more than two objects, interactions between objects inside the system
do not change the total momentum of the system – they just transfer some momentum from one
part of the system to another. Only external interactions can change the total momentum of the
system.
 The total momentum of a system is the vector sum of the momenta of each object in the
system
 External interactions can change the total momentum of a system.
 Internal interactions do not change the total momentum of a system.

The Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum

If the net external force acting on a system is zero, then the momentum of the system is
conserved.
  
If F ext  0, pi  p f

Linear momentum is always conserved for an isolated system. Of course, we deal with
components

pix  p fx and piy  p fy

I like to say that momentum is conserved in collisions and explosions.

Note: The total momentum of the system is conserved. The momentum of an individual particle
can change.

Problem 23. A rifle has a mass of 4.5 kg and it fires a bullet of mass 10.0 g at a muzzle speed of
820 m/s. What is the recoil speed of the rifle as the bullet leaves the gun barrel?

Solution: Draw a sketch of the initial and final situations.

Initial Final

Since only internal forces act, linear momentum is conserved.

 
pi  p f

The motion is in the x-direction,

pix  p fx

Initially, everything is at rest and pix = 0. The final momentum is the vector sum of the momenta
of the bullet and the rifle. From the diagram,

Lesson 9, page 5
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

p fx  mbvb  mr vr

Using conservation of momentum

pix  p fx
0  mb vb  mr vr
mb vb (0.010 kg)(820 m/s )
vr    1.82 m/s
mr 4.5 kg

The heavier the rifle, the smaller the recoil speed.

Center of Mass
From page 245:
We have seen that the momentum of an isolated system is conserved even though parts of
the system may interact with other parts; internal interactions transfer momentum
between parts of the system but do not change the total momentum of the system. We
can define a point called the center of mass (CM) that serves as an average location of the
system….
What if a system is not isolated, but has external interactions? Again imagine all
of the mass of the system concentrated into a single point particle located at the CM. The
motion of this fictitious point particle is determined by Newton’s second law, where the
net force is the sum of all the external forces acting on any part of the system. In the case
of a complex system composed of many
parts interacting with each other, the
motion of the CM is considerably
simpler than the motion of an arbitrary
particle of the system.

For the two particles pictured to the right, the

CM is

m1 x1  m2 x2 m1 x1  m2 x2
xCM  
m1  m2 M

Notice that the CM is closer to the more

massive object.

For many particles the definition is generalized

to


rCM  m r i i

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 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

The more useful component form is

xCM  m x i i
yCM  m y i i
zCM  m z i i

M M M

Problem 38. Find the x-coordinate of the CM of the composite object shown in the figure. The
sphere, cylinder, and rectangular solid all have uniform composition. Their masses and
dimensions are: sphere: 200 g, diameter = 10 cm; cylinder: 450 g, length = 17 cm, radius = 5.0
cm; rectangular solid: 325 g, length in x-direction = 16 cm, height = 10 cm, depth = 12 cm.

Solution: Because the different pieces have uniform composition, the center of mass of each
piece is located at the geometrical center of that piece. (See the note at the top of page 240.) For
the sphere, ms = 200 g, xs = 5 cm. For the cylinder, mc = 450 g, xc = 10 cm + 8.5 cm = 18.5 cm.
For the rectangular solid, mr = 325 g, xr = 10 cm + 17 cm + 8 cm = 35 cm. The center of mass is

xCM  m x i i

M
m x  mc xc  mr xr
 s s
ms  mc  mr
(200 g)(5 cm )  (450 g)(18.5 cm )  (325 g)(35 cm )

(200 g)  (450 g)  (325 g)
 21.2 cm

Motion of the Center of Mass

How is the velocity of the CM related to the velocities of the various parts of the system of
particles?

During a short time interval t, each particle changes position by ri . The CM changes



rCM   m r
i i

Divide each side by the time interval t


ri

rCM  mi t

t M

In general, the velocity is defined as

Lesson 9, page 7
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)


 r
v  lim
t 0 t

Using the definition of velocity



v CM  m v i i

M
 
Mv CM   mi v i

The right hand side is the total linear momentum of the system of particles. We have the very
useful relation
 
ptotal  MvCM

For a complicated system consisting of many particles moving in different directions, the total
linear momentum of the system can be found from the total mass of the system and the velocity
of the center of mass.
(Page 247) … we have showed that, for an isolated system, the total linear momentum of
the system is conserved. In such a system, the equation above implies that the CM must
move with constant velocity regardless of the motions of the individual particles. On the
other hand, what if the system is not isolated? If a net force acts on a system, the CM
does not move with constant velocity. Instead, it moves as if all the mass were
concentrated into a fictitious point particle with all the external forces acting on that
point. The motion of the CM obeys the following statement of Newton’s second law:
 
 ext  MaCM
F

A complicated system is reduced to treating the system as a point particle located at its center of
mass reacting only to external forces!

Collisions in One Dimension

In general, conservation of momentum is not enough to predict what will happen after a
collision. Here is a collision between two objects with the same mass. Many other outcomes are
possible besides the two given,

Lesson 9, page 8
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

Some vocabulary
 A collision in which the total kinetic energy is the same before and after is called elastic.
See (a) above.
 When the final kinetic energy is less than the initial kinetic energy, the collision is said to
be inelastic. Collisions between two macroscopic objects (for example, billiard balls) are
generally inelastic to some degree, but sometimes the change in kinetic energy is so small
that we treat the collision as elastic.
 When a collision results in two objects sticking together, the collision is perfectly
inelastic. See (b) above. The decrease of kinetic energy is a perfectly inelastic collision
is as large as possible (consistent with the conservation of momentum).

Problem-Solving Strategy for Collisions Involving Two Objects (pages 251-2)

1. Draw before and after diagrams of the collision.
2. Collect and organize information on the masses and velocities of the two objects before
and after the collision. Express the velocities in component form (with correct algebraic
signs).
3. Set the sum of the momenta of the two before and after the collision equal to the sum of
the momenta after the collision. Write one equation for each direction:

m1v1ix  m2v2ix  m1v1 fx  m2v2 fx

m1v1iy  m2v2iy  m1v1 fy  m2v2 fy

4. If the collision is known to be perfectly inelastic, set the final velocities equal:

v1 fx  v2 fx and v1 fy  v2 fy

5. If the collision is known to be perfectly elastic, then set the final kinetic energy equal to
the initial kinetic energy:

m1v1i  12 m2v2i  12 m1v1 f  12 m2v2 f

1 2 2 2 2
2

or, for a one-dimensional collision, set the relative speeds equal:

v2ix  v1ix  (v2 fx  v1 fx )

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 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

6. Solve for the unknown quantities.

Example: A one-dimensional elastic collision.

v1i v2i v1f v2f
m1 m2 m1 m2

initial final

Conservation of momentum gives

m1v1i  m2v2i  m1v1 f  m2v2 f

Elastic collision means that kinetic energy is conserved

m1v1i  12 m2v2i  12 m1v1 f  12 m2v2 f

1 2 2 2 2
2

Cancelling the ½ and grouping like masses on the same side of the equation,

m1 (v1i  v1 f )  m2 (v2 f  v2i )

2 2 2 2

Doing the same with the linear momentum equation

m1 (v1i  v1 f )  m2 (v2 f  v2i )

Divide the two equations

m1 (v1i  v1 f ) m2 (v2 f  v2i )

2 2 2 2


m1 (v1i  v1 f ) m2 (v2 f  v2i )
v1i  v1 f  v2 f  v2i

This can be rewritten as

v1i  v2i  v2 f  v1 f

The equation states that m1 approaches m2 with the same speed as m2 moves away from m1 after
the collision. Important result. Solve the above for v2f

v2 f  v1 f  v1i  v2i

and substitute into the momentum equation

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 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

m1v1i  m2v2i  m1v1 f  m2v2 f

 m1v1 f  m2 (v1 f  v1i  v2i )
 m1v1 f  m2v1 f  m2v1i  m2v2i
(m1  m2 )v1i  2m2v2i  (m1  m2 )v1 f
 m  m2   2m2 
v1 f   1 v1i   v2i
 m1  m2   m1  m2 

Using very similar reasoning, or swapping the 1 and 2 subscripts, we can find an expression for
the final speed of m2

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

Be careful when you use these equations. A mass moving to the left would have a negative
speed.
If m2 is initially at rest, v2i = 0 and we have

 m  m2 
v1 f   1 v1i
 m1  m2 
 2m1 
v2 f   v1i
 m1  m2 

 After the collision, m2 moves to the right.

 If m1 > m2, m1 continues to move to the right.
 If m1 = m2, m1 stops and m2 to move to the right with speed v1i.
 If m1 < m2, m1 bounces back to the left.

Example: The masses are m1 = 2 kg and m2 = 3 kg and they collide elastically in one dimension.
Before the collision, m1 is moving at 4 m/s to the right and m2 is moving at 1 m/s to the left.
What are the velocities of m1 and m2 after the collision?

Solution: Use the equations derived above,

 m  m2   2m2 
v1 f   1 v1i   v2i
 1
m  m 2   1
m  m 2 

 2 kg  3 kg   2(3 kg) 
  (4 m/s )   (1 m/s )
 2 kg  3 kg   2 kg  3 kg 
 2 m/s

Lesson 9, page 11
 Lesson 9: Impulse, Momentum, Center of Mass, Collisions (Sections 7.1-7.7)

 2m1   m  m1 
v2 f   v1i   2 v2i
 m1  m2   m1  m2 
 2(2 kg)   3 kg  2 kg 
  (4 m/s )   (1 m/s )
 2 kg  3 kg   2 kg  3 kg 
 3 m/s

4 m/s 1 m/s
m1 m2

To review relative velocity, the velocity of 2 relative to 1 is

  
v 21  v 2G  vG1

Taking components,

v21x  v2Gx  vG1x  1m/s  (4 m/s)  5 m/s

As seen from m1, m2 is moving to the left at 5 m/s. After the collision,

2 m/s m1 m2 3 m/s

v21x  v2Gx  vG1x  3 m/s  (2 m/s)  5 m/s

The masses approach at 5 m/s and separate at 5 m/s.

Lesson 9, page 12