IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

 Momentum…
o is a quantity that describes an object's resistance to

stopping (a kind of "moving inertia").

o is represented by the symbol p (boldface).

o is the product of an object's mass and velocity.

p = mv

o is a vector quantity (since velocity is a vector and mass

is a scalar).
 Impulse…
o is a quantity that describes the effect of a net force

acting on an object (a kind of "moving force").

o is represented by the symbol J (boldface).

o is the product of the average net force acting on an

object and its duration.

J = F̅ Δt

o is the force-time integral.

⌠
J= F dt
⌡
o is a vector quantity (since force is a vector and time is a
scalar).
 Impulse-Momentum Theorem
o The impulse-momentum theorem states that the change

in momentum of an object equals the impulse applied to

it.

J = Δp

o If mass is constant, then…

 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

F̅ Δt = mΔv

o If mass is changing, then…

F dt = m dv + v dm

o The impulse-momentum theorem is logically equivalent

to Newton's second law of motion (the force law).
 Units
o The SI unit of impulse is the newton second.

o The SI unit of momentum is the kilogram meter per

second.
o These units of impulse and momentum are equivalent.

[N s = kg m/s]

I II
inertia momentum
1st law
m p = mv
force law impulse-momentum theorem
2nd law
F = ma J = Δp
action-reaction conservation of momentum
3rd law
+F1 = −F2 ∑p = ∑p0
Related concepts of dynamics
 Specific Impulse
o is a measure of the efficacy of rocket propellants.

o if defined as impulse per mass (or thrust per mass flow

rate)
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

 is equal to exhaust velocity and has the SI unit

of meter per second.
J T
Jsp[m/s] = = =v
m qm
o if defined as impulse per weight (or thrust per weight
flow rate)
 is equal to exhaust velocity divided by acceleration

due to gravity and has the SI unit of second.

J T v
Jsp[s] = = =
mg qmg g

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Momentum and Impulse Connection

 Momentum
 Momentum and Impulse Connection
 Real-World Applications
As mentioned in the previous part of this lesson, momentum is a commonly used term
in sports. When a sports announcer says that a team has
the momentum they mean that the team is really on the
move and is going to be hard to stop. The
term momentum is a physics concept. Any object with
momentum is going to be hard to stop. To stop such an
object, it is necessary to apply a force against its motion for a given period of time. The
more momentum that an object has, the harder that it is to stop. Thus, it would require
a greater amount of force or a longer amount of time or both to bring such an object to
a halt. As the force acts upon the object for a given amount of time, the object's
velocity is changed; and hence, the object's momentum is changed.
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

The concepts in the above paragraph should not seem like

abstract information to you. You have observed this a
number of times if you have watched the sport of football. In
football, the defensive players apply a force for a given
amount of time to stop the momentum of the offensive
player who has the ball. You have also experienced this a
multitude of times while driving. As you bring your car to a
halt when approaching a stop sign or stoplight, the brakes
serve to apply a force to the car for a given amount of time
to change the car's momentum. An object with momentum
can be stopped if a force is applied against it for a given
amount of time.
A force acting for a given amount of time will change an object's momentum. Put
another way, an unbalanced force always accelerates an object - either speeding it up
or slowing it down. If the force acts opposite the object's motion, it slows the object
down. If a force acts in the same direction as the object's motion, then the force speeds
the object up. Either way, a force will change the velocity of an object. And if the
velocity of the object is changed, then the momentum of the object is changed.

Impulse
These concepts are merely an outgrowth of Newton's second law as discussed in an
earlier unit. Newton's second law (Fnet = m • a) stated that the acceleration of an object
is directly proportional to the net force acting upon the object and inversely
proportional to the mass of the object. When combined with the definition of
acceleration (a = change in velocity / time), the following equalities result.

F=m•a

or

F = m • ∆v / t

If both sides of the above equation are multiplied by the quantity t, a new equation
results.

F • t = m • ∆v
This equation represents one of two primary principles to be used in the analysis of
collisions during this unit. To truly understand the equation, it is important to
understand its meaning in words. In words, it could be said that the force times the
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

time equals the mass times the change in velocity. In physics, the quantity Force • time
is known as impulse. And since the quantity m•v is the momentum, the quantity m•Δv
must be the change in momentum. The equation really says that the
Impulse = Change in momentum

One focus of this unit is to understand the physics of collisions. The physics of collisions
are governed by the laws of momentum; and the first law that we discuss in this unit is
expressed in the above equation. The equation is known as the impulse-momentum
change equation. The law can be expressed this way:
In a collision, an object experiences a force for a specific amount of time that results in
a change in momentum. The result of the force acting for the given amount of time is
that the object's mass either speeds up or slows down (or changes direction). The
impulse experienced by the object equals the change in momentum of the object. In
equation form, F • t = m • Δ v.
In a collision, objects experience an impulse; the impulse causes and is equal to the
change in momentum. Consider a football halfback running down the football field and
encountering a collision with a defensive back. The collision would change the
halfback's speed and thus his momentum. If the motion was represented by a ticker
tape diagram, it might appear as follows:

At approximately the tenth dot on the diagram, the collision occurs and lasts for a
certain amount of time; in terms of dots, the collision lasts for a time equivalent to
approximately nine dots. In the halfback-defensive back collision, the halfback
experiences a force that lasts for a certain amount of time to change his momentum.
Since the collision causes the rightward-moving halfback to slow down, the force on the
halfback must have been directed leftward. If the halfback experienced a force of 800 N
for 0.9 seconds, then we could say that the impulse was 720 N•s. This impulse would
cause a momentum change of 720 kg•m/s. In a collision, the impulse experienced by
an object is always equal to the momentum change.

Representing a Rebounding Collision

Now consider a collision of a tennis ball with a wall. Depending on the physical
properties of the ball and wall, the speed at which the ball rebounds from the wall upon
colliding with it will vary. The diagrams below depict the changes in velocity of the
same ball. For each representation (vector diagram, velocity-time graph, and ticker tape
pattern), indicate which case (A or B) has the greatest change in velocity,
greatest acceleration, greatest momentum change, and greatest impulse. Support each
answer. Click the button to check your answer.
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

Vector Diagram

Greatest velocity change?

Greatest acceleration?
Greatest momentum change?
Greatest Impulse?
See Answer

Velocity-Time Graph

Greatest velocity change?

Greatest acceleration?
Greatest momentum change?
Greatest Impulse?
See Answer

Ticker Tape Diagram

Greatest velocity change?

Greatest acceleration?
Greatest momentum change?
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

See Answer

Observe that each of the collisions above

involve the rebound of a ball off a wall.
Observe that the greater the rebound effect,
the greater the acceleration, momentum
change, and impulse. A rebound is a special
type of collision involving a direction change in
addition to a speed change. The result of the direction change is a large velocity
change. On occasions in a rebound collision, an object will maintain the same or nearly
the same speed as it had before the collision. Collisions in which objects rebound with
the same speed (and thus, the same momentum and kinetic energy) as they had prior
to the collision are known as elastic collisions. In general, elastic collisions are
characterized by a large velocity change, a large momentum change, a large impulse,
and a large force.

Use the impulse-momentum change principle to fill in the blanks in the following
rows of the table. As you do, keep these three major truths in mind:
 The impulse experienced by an object is the force•time.
 The momentum change of an object is the mass•velocity change.
 The impulse equals the momentum change.

Click the button to view answers.

Force Time Impulse Mom. Change Mass Vel. Change

(N) (s) (N*s) (kg*m/s) (kg) (m/s)

1. See Answer 0.010 See Answer See Answer 10 -4

2. See Answer 0.100 -40 See Answer 10 See Answer
3. See Answer 0.010 See Answer -200 50 See Answer
4. -20 000 See Answer See Answer -200 See Answer -8
5. -200 1.0 See Answer See Answer 50 See Answer

There are a few observations that can be made in the above table that relate to the
computational nature of the impulse-momentum change theorem. First, observe that
the answers in the table above reveal that the third and fourth columns are always
equal; that is, the impulse is always equal to the momentum change. Observe also that
if any two of the first three columns are known, then the remaining column can be
computed. This is true because the impulse=force • time. Knowing two of these three
quantities allows us to compute the third quantity. And finally, observe that knowing
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

any two of the last three columns allows us to compute the remaining column. This is
true since momentum change = mass • velocity change.
There are also a few observations that can be made that relate
to the qualitative nature of the impulse-momentum change
theorem. An examination of rows 1 and 2 show that force and
time are inversely proportional; for the same mass and velocity
change, a tenfold increase in the time of impact corresponds to
a tenfold decrease in the force of impact. An examination of rows 1 and 3 show that
mass and force are directly proportional; for the same time and velocity change, a
fivefold increase in the mass corresponds to a fivefold increase in the force required to
stop that mass. Finally, an examination of rows 3 and 4 illustrate that mass and velocity
change are inversely proportional; for the same force and time, a twofold decrease in
the mass corresponds to a twofold increase in the velocity change.

Read the following excerpt of an interview with amateur naturalist

Timothy Treadwell.
Now, the bears I live with average, the males, eight to twelve hundred pounds [360
to 540 kg]. They're the largest bears in the world…. They've been clocked at 41
[mph] and they've run a hundred meter dash in 5.85 seconds, which a human on
steroids doesn't even approach.
a. Compute the speed of a grizzly bear using Mr. Treadwell's hundred meter
statement.
b. Compute the momentum of a grizzly bear using the speed you calculated in
part a. and the average mass stated by Mr. Treadwell.
c. How fast would a 250 lb man have to run to have the same momentum you
calculated in part b? (Do not use a calculator to compute your answer.)
d. How fast would a 4,000 lb car have to drive to have the same momentum you
calculated in part b? (Do not use a calculator to compute your answer.)

a. Speed is distance over time.

∆s
v=
∆t
100 m
v=
5.85 s
v = 17 m/s
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

b. Momentum is mass times velocity. Let's use a mass in

the middle of the range stated by Mr. Treadwell.

p = mv
p = (450 kg)(17 m/s)
p = 7,700 kgm/s
c. Momentum is the product of mass and velocity, which
makes the two quantities inversely proportional. Mass goes
down when we replace the 1,000 pound grizzly bear with a
250 pound man. To keep the momentum constant, the man
will have to run faster — faster by an amount that is
inversely proportional to the decrease in weight. Since our
hypothetical man has ¼ the mass of a grizzly, he needs to
run 4 times faster to have the same momentum. With
numbers this simple, you should be able to compute the
answers without a calculator.

p = mv ⇒ p = (¼m)(4v)

d. That's 68 m/s in International units or 164 mph in

Anglo-American units. When it comes to momentum, a bear
at top speed is like a man running as fast as a race car.

vman = 4vbear
vman = 4(17 m/s) = 68 m/s
vman = 4(41 mph) = 164 mph
e. Use reasoning similar to part c. Mass goes up when we
replace the 1,000 pound grizzly bear with a 4,000 pound car.
Four times the mass needs ¼ the speed to have the same
momentum. Once again, the numbers are simple.

p = mv ⇒ p = (4m)(¼v)
 IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM

f. That's 4.25 m/s or 10.25 mph. A bear at top speed is

like a car driving through a parking lot.

vcar = ¼vbear
vcar = ¼(17 m/s) = 4.25 m/s
vcar = ¼(41 mph) = 10.25 mph

1. When hit, the velocity of a 0.145 kg baseball changes from +20 m/s to
−20 m/s. What is the magnitude of the impulse delivered by the bat to the
ball?
2. A falling rubber ball of mass 0.025 kg strikes the ground traveling straight
down at 4.0 m/s. Find the magnitude of the impulse that the ground gives to
the ball if…
a. the ground is soft and the ball stops dead
b. the ground is hard and the ball bounces straight up at 2.0 m/s
3. A model rocket has mass of 1.5 kg. The engine exerts an effective upward
thrust of 120 N for 3.2 seconds. (Assume a negligible amount of air resistance
and no change in mass while the rocket is ascending.)
. Draw a free body diagram showing all the forces acting on the model rocket.
Determine…
b. the weight of the rocket
c. the net force on the rocket while the engine was running
d. the net impulse on the rocket while the engine was running
e. the speed of the rocket when the engine stopped
f. the height of the rocket above the ground when the engine stopped
After the engine shuts down, the rocket is still moving upward.
g. Draw a free body diagram showing all the forces acting on the model
rocket.
h. What is the acceleration of the rocket after the engine shut down?
i. What maximum height above the ground did the rocket reach?
IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM