HKCEE PHYSICS | 2.4 Momentum | P.

1. 1990/II/7
Which of the following statements is/are correct when a collision between two particles is elastic?
(1) None of the original kinetic energy is converted into other forms of energy
(2) The linear momentum of each particle is conserved
(3) The mechanical energy of each particle is conversed
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1),(2) and (3)

2. 1991/II/8
A gas molecule collides with the wall of a container and becomes back with the same speed. Which of the
following quantities of the molecule remain(s) unchanged before and after the collision?
(1) kinetic energy
(2) velocity
(3) momentum
A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (1) and (3) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1),(2) and (3)

3. 1991/II/11

Two particles A and B of masses 2 kg and 1 kg respectively move in opposite directions. The initial velocity
of A is 4 ms-1 towards the right, while that of B is 2 ms-1 towards the left. They collide head on. After the
collision, the velocity of A become 1 ms-1 towards the RIGHT. What would be the velocity of particle B?
A. 2 ms-1 towards the right B. 3 ms-1 towards the right C. 4 ms-1 towards the right
D. 6 ms-1 towards the right E. 7 ms-1 towards the right

4. 1991/II/42
1st statement 2nd statement
Momentum is not conserved in an inelastic collision. Kinetic energy is lost in an inelastic collision.

5. 1992/II/5

A trolley of mass 2 kg moves with a uniform speed of 4 ms-1 along a horizontal table. A lump of plasticine
having the same mass as the trolley is dropped from a height slightly above the trolley and sticks to it. Find
the total loss in kinetic energy.
A. 0 J B. 4 J C. 8 J D. 12 J E. 16 J

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6. 1997/II/5
A particle of mass m is thrown vertically upwards with initial speed v. When the particle returns to its starting
point, what are the changes in momentum and kinetic energy of the particles?
Change in momentum Change in kinetic energy
A. 0 0
B. 0 mv²
C. mv 1/2mv²
D. 2mv 0
E. 2mv mv²

7. 1998/II/3
A block is pulled by a constant force and moves along a smooth horizontal surface. Which of the following
describes the variations of the acceleration and momentum of the block during the time when the force is acting?
Acceleration Momentum Acceleration Momentum
A. remains unchanged remains unchanged B. remains unchanged increase
C. increases remains unchanged D. increases increases
E. decreases increases

8. 1999/II/8
A rocket is initially at rest in space. It then explodes and breaks into two parts which move in opposite directions.
If the mass of the rear part is larger than that of the front part, which of the following statements is correct?
A. The speeds of the two parts are equal.
B. The speed of the rear part is higher than that of the front part.
C. The magnitudes of the momentum of the two parts are equal.
D. The magnitude of the momentum of the rear part is larger than that of the front part.
E. The kinetic energies of the two parts are equal.

9. 1999/II/41
1st statement 2nd statement
The front and rear parts of cars are designed to The collapsible parts can reduce the time of
collapse during a serious traffic accident. collision when the car is involved in a serious accident.

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10. 2000/II/10

The above graph shows the variation of kinetic energy E of an object with the square of its velocity v². What is
the momentum of the object when is moving at velocity 4 ms-1?
A. 4 kg ms-1 B. 8 kg ms-1 C. 16 kg ms-1 D. 32 kg ms-1
E. It cannot be determined since the mass of the object is not given

11. 2001/II/11
A rocket of mass 5000 kg is at rest in space. It then explodes and breaks into two parts P1 and P2 of mass
1000 kg and 4000 kg respectively. Find the ratio of the kinetic energy of P1 to that of P2.
A. 1 : 1 B. 1 : 16 C. 1 : 64 D. 4:1 E. 16 : 1

12. 2002/II/2

The figure above shows the variation of the resultant force acting on an object with time. What physical quantity
does the area of the shaded region represent?
A. acceleration B. change of momentum C. work D. power

13. 2002/II/12

Grace and Kitty, of masses 50 kg and 40 kg respectively, stand on light rollers on a smooth horizontal floor.
They are initially at rest with Grace holding a 2 kg ball. Grace throws the ball to Kitty and moves backward with
a speed 0.8 ms-1 afterwards. After catching the ball, Kitty moves in the opposite direction as shown above.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(1) The final speed of Kitty is 0.95 ms-1
(2) The horizontal momentum of the ball is conserved in this process.
(3) The total kinetic energy of Kitty and the ball decreases when Kitty catches the ball.
A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only

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14. 2002/II/43
1st statement 2nd statement
Air-cushioned sports shoes can reduce the Air-cushioned sports shoes can increase the time
impact force acting on the feet during jumping and running. of impact between the feet and the ground during
jumping and running.
15. 2003/II/9

A wooden block of mass M is hanging freely in the air from a light string of length l. A bullet, of mass m
travelling at a speed v, hits the block and becomes embedded in it. The block then swings upwards. Which
of the following are employed in determining the maximum height reached by the block?
(1) law of conservation of energy
(2) law of conservation of momentum
(3) principle of moments
A. (1) and (2) only B. (1) and (3) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

16. 2003/II/43
1st statement 2nd statement
Wearing seat-belts can reduce the force acting Wearing seat-belts can reduce the change
on passengers in a car during a collision. in momentum of passengers in a car during a collision.

17. 2004/II/9
A trolley moves along a smooth horizontal surface. A lump of plasticine is released from a height slightly
above the trolley and sticks to it. Which of the following graphs shows the variation of the total horizontal
momentum of the trolley and plasticine with time?

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18. 2004/II/10

The photograph shows an air-cushioned shoe. Which of the following statements about the air-cushion
is/are correct?
(1) It reduces the time of impact between the foot and the ground during running
(2) It reduces the impact force acting on the foot during running
(3) It reduces the friction between the shoe and the ground during running.
A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (1) and (3) only D. (2) and (3) only

19. 2005/II/31
A car P of mass 1000 kg moves with a speed of 20 ms-1 and makes a head-on collision with a car Q of mass
1500 kg, which was moving with a sped of 10 ms-1 in the opposite direction before the collision. If the two cars
stick together after the collision, find their common velocity immediately after the collision.
A. 2 ms-1 along the original direction of P B. 2 ms-1 along the original direction of Q
C. 14 ms-1 along the original direction of P D. 14 ms-1 along the original direction of Q

20. 2005/II/45
1st statement 2nd statement
When a lorry makes a head-on collision with a When a lorry makes a head-on collision
motorcycle, the magnitude of the average force exerted with a motorcycle, the magnitude of
by the lorry on the motorcycle is equal to that the change in velocity of the lorry is equal
exerted by the motorcycle on the lorry. to that of the motorcycle.

21. 2007/II/28
A body initially at rest, is exploded into two parts. Which of the following correctly describes the change in
total momentum and total kinetic energy?
Total momentum Total kinetic energy Total momentum Total kinetic energy
A. increases increases B. increases remains unchanged
C. remains unchanged increases D. remains unchanged remains unchanged

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22. 2007/II/29
Tom and John stand on two trolleys of negligible masses. Both boys are initially at rest and Tom holds a ball
of 3 kg. The masses of Tom and John are 30 kg and 27 kg respectively. After Tom has thrown the ball to John,
Tom moves backwards with a speed of 1 ms-1. What is the speed of John after he has caught the ball?

A. 0.90 ms-1 B. 1.00 ms-1 C. 1.11 ms-1 D. 1.22 ms-1

23. 2008/II/29

In an explosion, an object is blown into 2 pieces, A and B, which fly off in opposite directions. The mass of A is
0.3 kg. The graph shows the variation of velocity of A and B with time before and after the explosion. What is
the mass of B and the estimated magnitude of the average net force acting on B during the explosion?
Mass of B Magnitude of the average net force acting on B
A. 0.1 kg 0.4 N
B. 0.1 kg 0.5 N
C. 0.9 kg 3.6 N
D. 0.9 kg 4.5 N

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24. 2008/II/31
Trolleys A and B of masses mA and mB respectively travel along a horizontal road in opposite directions as shown.

Later they make a head-on inelastic collision and stick together. The graph below shows the velocity-time
relationship of the two trolleys before and after the collision. (Ignore the collision time and the friction acting
on the trolleys.)

What is the ratio mA: mB?

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