Linear momentum and collision

• Consider an isolated system with 2 particles of masses 𝑚1 and 𝑚2 moving with velocities 𝑣1
and 𝑣2 at an instant of time.
• If the forces of 𝑚1 were to act on forces of 𝑚2 , then from Newton’s third law of motion
𝐹⃗21 = −𝐹⃗12
𝐹⃗21 + 𝐹⃗12 = 0 (1)
• From Newton’s second law of motion

∑ 𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗

Then Eqn.1 becomes

𝑚1 𝑎⃗1 + 𝑚2 𝑎⃗2 = 0
⃗⃗
𝑑𝑣
Since 𝑎⃗1 = , then
𝑑𝑡

𝑑𝑣1 𝑑𝑣2
𝑚1 + 𝑚2 =0
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑑 𝑑
(𝑚1 𝑣1 ) + (𝑚2 𝑣2 ) = 0
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑑
(𝑚1 𝑣1 + 𝑚2 𝑣2 ) = 0 (2)
𝑑𝑡

⃗⃗ and it is defined as the product of mass of a

𝑚1 𝑣1 + 𝑚2 𝑣2 is called linear momentum, 𝒑
particle with velocity, i.e.
⃗⃗ = 𝒎𝒗
𝒑 ⃗⃗
⃗⃗ is a vector quantity, and its SI unit is kg m/s
𝒑

Relationship between linear momentum and resultant force acting on a particle

From Newton’s second law of motion

∑ 𝐹⃗𝑁𝑒𝑡 = 𝑚𝑎⃗

since
𝑑𝑣⃗
𝑎⃗1 =
𝑑𝑡
Then
𝑑𝑣⃗
∑ 𝐹⃗𝑁𝑒𝑡 = 𝑚
𝑑𝑡
 Since m is a constant, then
𝑑
∑ 𝐹⃗𝑁𝑒𝑡 = (𝑚𝑣⃗)
𝑑𝑡
But 𝑚𝑣⃗ = 𝑝⃗
Therefore
𝑑𝑝⃗
∑ 𝐹⃗𝑁𝑒𝑡 = (3)
𝑑𝑡

Eqn. 3 shows that the time rate change of linear momentum of a particle is equal to the net
force acting on the particle.

• Using the definition of linear momentum, 𝑝⃗, then Eqn. 2 becomes

𝑑
(𝑝⃗1 + 𝑝⃗2 ) = 0 (4)
𝑑𝑡

• Since the time derivative of the total momentum 𝑝⃗𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑝⃗1 + 𝑝⃗2 is equal to zero, then the
total momentum of the system remains a constant such that
𝑝⃗𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑝⃗1 + 𝑝⃗2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 (5)
𝑜𝑟

𝑝⃗1,𝑖 + 𝑝⃗2,𝑖 = 𝑝⃗1,𝑓 + 𝑝⃗2,𝑓

Momentum before collision = momentum after collision (6)

where 𝑝⃗1,𝑖 and 𝑝⃗2,𝑖 are then initial values and 𝑝⃗1,𝑓 and 𝑝⃗2,𝑓 are the final values of momenta for the
two particles for the time interval during which the particles interact. The equation also
demonstrates that the total momenta in the x, y, and z direction is independently conserved:

𝑝𝑖,𝑥 = 𝑝𝑓,𝑥 𝑝𝑖,𝑦 = 𝑝𝑓,𝑦 𝑝𝑖,𝑦 = 𝑝𝑓,𝑦

• This is known as the law of conservation of linear momentum, and it can be extended to
any number of particles in an isolated system, and it states that
Whenever two or more particles in an isolated system interact (i.e. there is no external
force acting on the particles), the total momentum of the system remains constant.
• The law indicates that the total momentum of an isolated system always be equal to its initial
momentum.
 Impulse and momentum

• Eqn. 3 shows that the momentum of a particle changes when a net force acts on the particle

𝑑𝑝⃗
i.e., ∑ 𝐹⃗𝑁𝑒𝑡 = 𝑑𝑡

• Suppose a single force 𝐹⃗ acts on a particle and that this force varies with time, then according
to Newton’s second law

𝑑𝑝⃗
𝐹⃗ = 𝑑𝑡 , or

𝑑𝑝⃗ = 𝐹⃗ 𝑑𝑡 (7)

• If the momentum of the particle changes from 𝑝⃗𝑖 at time 𝑡𝑖 to 𝑝⃗𝑓 at a time 𝑡𝑓 , then integrating
Eqn. 7 we get

𝑡
∆𝑝 = 𝑝⃗𝑓 − 𝑝⃗𝑖 = ∫𝑡 𝑓 𝐹⃗ 𝑑𝑡 (8)
𝑖

• The change in momentum 𝑝⃗𝑓 − 𝑝⃗𝑖 is called impulse of force 𝐹⃗ acting on a particle over a
time interval ∆𝑡 = 𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑖 .
• Impulse is therefore a vector quantity defined by
𝑡
𝐼⃗ = ∫𝑡 𝑓 𝐹⃗ 𝑑𝑡 (9)
𝑖

• Therefore, impulse of the force 𝐹⃗ acting on a particle is equal to the change in momentum of
the particle. The direction of the impulse is in the same direction of the change in
momentum.
• FromEqn.9

𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑖 = ∆𝑡

∴ 𝐼⃗ = 𝐹⃗ ∆𝑡 (10)
Calculated example

In a particular crash test, a car of mass 1500 𝑘𝑔 collides with a wall. The initial and final
velocities of the car are 𝑣𝑖 = −5.0 𝑖̂ 𝑚/𝑠 and 𝑣𝑓 = 2.60 𝑖̂ 𝑚/𝑠 respectively. If the collision last
0.15 s, find the impulse caused by the collision and the average force exerted.

Collision in 1-dimension

• Two particles interact by means of force.

• The time interval during which the velocities of particles change from initial to final
values is assumed to be short
• Interaction forces are assumed to be much greater than any external forces present (as
seen in impulse approximation)

Types of collision

a) Elastic collision
• The total kinetic energy as well as the total momentum by the system is the same before
and after collision.
• It occurs at atomic and sub atomic level
b) Inelastic collision
• The total kinetic energy before and after collision is not the same even though the
momentum of the system is conserved.
• Perfectly inelastic collision occurs when the colliding objects stick together after
collision.
• For an inelastic collision, the colliding objects do not stick together

Perfectly inelastic collision

• Consider two particles of masses m1 and m2 moving with initial velocities 𝑢

⃗⃗1 and 𝑢
⃗⃗2
respectively along a straight line.
• If the two particles collide head on, fuse and move with a common velocity 𝑣⃗ after
collision, then assuming that this is an isolated system, the momentum is conserved
𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛
 𝑚1 𝑢1 + 𝑚2 𝑢2 = (𝑚1 + 𝑚2 )𝑣
𝑚1 𝑢1 + 𝑚2 𝑢2
𝑣=
𝑚1 + 𝑚2

Elastic collision

• If the particles above collide head on and leave the collision site with different velocities of
𝑣1 and 𝑣2 in an elastic collision, then both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved, then
o For conservation of momentum
𝑚1 𝑢1 + 𝑚2 𝑢2 = 𝑚1 𝑣1 + 𝑚2 𝑣2
𝑚1 (𝑢1 − 𝑣1 ) = 𝑚2 (𝑣2 − 𝑢2 ) (1)
o For conservation of kinetic energy
1 1 1 1
𝑚1 𝑢1 2 + 𝑚2 𝑢2 2 = 𝑚1 𝑣1 2 + 𝑚2 𝑣 2
2 2 2 2
𝑚1 𝑢1 2 + 𝑚2 𝑢2 2 = 𝑚1 𝑣 2 + 𝑚2 𝑣 2
𝑚1 (𝑢1 2 − 𝑣1 2 ) = 𝑚2 (𝑣2 2 − 𝑢2 2 ) (2)
o Eqns. 1 and 2 have two unknowns which can be solved simultaneously
If Eqn.2 is factorized, we get
𝑚1 (𝑢1 − 𝑣1 )(𝑢1 + 𝑣1 ) = 𝑚2 (𝑣2 − 𝑢2 )(𝑣2 + 𝑢2 )
If divided through by Eqn. 1, we get
𝑚1 (𝑢1 − 𝑣1 )(𝑢1 + 𝑣1 ) 𝑚2 (𝑣2 − 𝑢2 )(𝑣2 + 𝑢2 )
=
𝑚1 (𝑢1 − 𝑣1 ) 𝑚2 (𝑣2 − 𝑢2 )

(𝑢1 + 𝑣1 ) = (𝑣2 + 𝑢2 )
𝑢1 − 𝑢2 = 𝑣2 − 𝑣1
𝑜𝑟
𝑢1 − 𝑢2 = −1(𝑣1 − 𝑣2 )
• Thus, the relative velocity of the two particles before collision is equal to the negative of
their relative velocities after collision.
Calculated examples

1. An 1800 kg car that stopped at a traffic light is struck from the rear by a 900 kg car and
the two become entangled moving along the same path as that of the originally moving
car. If the smaller car was moving at 20 m/s before collision, calculate the velocity of
entangled cars after the collision
2. A block of mass 𝑚1 = 2.0 𝑘𝑔 initially moving to the right with a speed of 4.00 𝑚/𝑠 on a
frictionless horizontal track collides with a spring attached to a second block of mass
𝑚2 = 3.0 𝑘𝑔 initially moving to the left with a speed of 4.50 𝑚/𝑠. Find the velocities of
the blocks after collision. The springs constant is 600 𝑁/𝑘𝑔

Figure 1

a) Calculate the velocities of the blocks after collisions

b) During the collision, at the instant block 1 is moving to the right with a velocity of
+3.00 𝑚/𝑠, as shown in Fig. 3 (b), determine the velocity of block 2
c) Determine the distance the spring is compressed at the instance in (ii)
d) Find the maximum compression of the spring during this collision.

Two-dimensional collision
 - The momentum of two particles in each of the directions x, y, and z is conserved when
the system is isolated. For a two-dimensional collision, the component equations for
conservation of momentum are given as
𝑚1 𝑢1,𝑥 + 𝑚2 𝑢2,𝑥 = 𝑚1 𝑣1,𝑥 + 𝑚2 𝑣2,𝑥
𝑚1 𝑢1,𝑦 + 𝑚2 𝑢2,𝑦 = 𝑚1 𝑣1,𝑦 + 𝑚2 𝑣2,𝑦
- Suppose particle 1 of mass 𝑚1 collides with particle 2 of mass 𝑚2 initially at rest as
shown in Fig 2, such that after collision, particle 1 moves at an angle 𝜃 with respect to the
horizontal while particle 2 moves at an angle ϕ with respect to the horizontal (these
angles are known as glazing angles)

Figure 2: An elastic glancing collision between two particles

- Applying the law of conservation of momentum along the x and y axis

𝑚1 𝑢1 + 0 = 𝑚1 𝑣1 cos 𝜃 + 𝑚2 𝑣2 cos ϕ (a)
0 = 𝑚1 𝑣1 sin 𝜃 − 𝑚2 𝑣2 sin ϕ (b)
If the collision is elastic, then there is conservation of kinetic energy with 𝑢2 = 0
1 1 1
𝑚1 𝑢1 2 + 0 = 2 𝑚1 𝑣1 2 + 2 𝑚2 𝑣2 2 (c)
2

Calculated example

A proton collides elastically with another proton that is initially at rest. The incoming proton has
an initial speed of 3.50 × 105 𝑚/𝑠 and makes a glancing collision with the second proton as
shown in Fig. 2. (At close separations, the protons exert a repulsive electrostatic force on each
other). After the collision, one proton moves off at an angle of 37.0o to the original direction of
motion while the second deflects at an angle of ϕ along the same axis, Find the final speeds of
the two protons and the angle ϕ.