1.

Momentum

(a) State the law of conservation of momentum.

if...................................................................................................................................
a system is isolated and the net external force acting on it is zero

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(2)
(b) An ice hockey puck collides with the wall of an ice rink. The puck is sliding along a line
that makes an angle of 45° to the wall.

wall
45 45

ice rink

direction of puck direction of puck

before collision after collision

The collision between the wall and the puck is perfectly elastic.

(i) State what is meant by an elastic collision.

When two objects collide with each other, one initially stationary
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and Kinetic Energy is conserved.

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(1)

(ii) Discuss how the law of conservation of momentum applies to this situation.
Since a force acts on the puck during the collision, its momentum
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is not conserved.The puck is attached to the rink, which is attached
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to the Earth, and the Earth is given momentum so that the change
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in momentum of the Earth equals the change in momentum of the puck.
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(2)

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2

This question is about momentum and energy.

(a) Define impulse of a force and state the relation between impulse and momentum.

definition

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relation

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(2)

(b) By applying Newton’s laws of motion to the collision of two particles, deduce that
momentum is conserved in the collision.

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(c) In an experiment to measure the speed of a bullet, the bullet is fired into a piece of
plasticine suspended from a rigid support by a light thread.

24cm
bullet
speed V

plasticine

The speed of the bullet on impact with the plasticine is V. As a result of the impact, the
bullet embeds itself in the plasticine and the plasticine is displaced vertically through a
height of 24 cm. The mass of the bullet is 5.2×10–3 kg and the mass of the plasticine is
0.38 kg.

(i) Ignoring the mass of the bullet, calculate the speed of the plasticine immediately
after the impact.

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(2)

(ii) Deduce that the speed V with which the bullet strikes the plasticine is about
160 m s–1.

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(iii) Estimate the kinetic energy lost in the impact.

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3. This question is about momentum.

(a) Define

(i) linear momentum.

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(1)

(ii) impulse.

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(1)

(b) In a ride in a pleasure park, a carriage of mass 450 kg is travelling horizontally at a speed
of 18 m s–1. It passes through a shallow tank containing stationary water. The tank is of
length 9.3 m. The carriage leaves the tank at a speed of 13 m s–1.

18 m s–1 water-tank 13 m s –1
carriage, mass 450 kg

9.3m

As the carriage passes through the tank, the carriage loses momentum and causes some
water to be pushed forwards with a speed of 19 m s–1 in the direction of motion of the
carriage.

(i) For the carriage passing through the water-tank, deduce that the magnitude of its
total change in momentum is 2250N s.

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(1)

(ii) Use the answer in (b)(i) to deduce that the mass of water moved in the direction of
motion of the carriage is approximately 120 kg.

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(2)

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 (iii) Calculate the mean value of the magnitude of the acceleration of the carriage in the
water.

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(3)

(c) For the carriage in (b) passing through the water-tank, determine

(i) its total loss in kinetic energy.

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(3)

(ii) the gain in kinetic energy of the water that is moved in the direction of motion of
the carriage.

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(1)

(d) By reference to the principles of conservation of momentum and of energy, explain your
answers in (c).

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(3)
(Total 15 marks)

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4. This question is about the collision between two railway trucks (carts).

(a) Define linear momentum.

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(1)

In the diagram below, railway truck A is moving along a horizontal track. It collides with a
stationary truck B and on collision, the two join together. Immediately before the collision, truck
A is moving with speed 5.0 ms–1. Immediately after collision, the speed of the trucks is v.

5.0 ms –1

B
A

Immediately before collision

B
A

Immediately after collision

The mass of truck A is 800 kg and the mass of truck B is 1200 kg.

(b) (i) Calculate the speed v immediately after the collision.

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(3)

(ii) Calculate the total kinetic energy lost during the collision.

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(2)

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 (c) Suggest what has happened to the lost kinetic energy.

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(2)
(Total 8 marks)

5. This question is about driving a metal bar into the ground.

Large metal bars can be driven into the ground using a heavy falling object.

object
mass = 2.0×103 kg

bar
mass = 400 kg

In the situation shown, the object has a mass 2.0 × 103 kg and the metal bar has a mass of
400 kg.

The object strikes the bar at a speed of 6.0 m s–1. It comes to rest on the bar without bouncing.
As a result of the collision, the bar is driven into the ground to a depth of 0.75 m.

(a) Determine the speed of the bar immediately after the object strikes it.

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(4)

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(b) Determine the average frictional force exerted by the ground on the bar.

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(3)
(Total 7 marks)

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