Momentum

One of the most common team sports is basketball. Imagine two teams who are involved in a really tight quarter
finals tournament. Team A is 2 pts ahead of Team B. Later on in the match, a player from Team B scores a three-point
shot and followed by a series of 2-point shots from the said team. Team B couldn’t stop their momentum. What do
you mean by Momentum? Write your own meaning on the given space below.

Q.1 Momentum is ______________________________________________________________________.

In the example above, these are the things we need to consider in defining momentum:
1. the object has mass 2. the object is moving

Any moving object with a quantity of matter has momentum. Momentum simply means "mass in
motion." It is equal to the product of mass and velocity.
Mathematically, it is expressed as 𝒑=𝒎 × 𝒗
where:
p is the momentum in kilogram ∙ meter per second (kg ∙ m/s)
m is the mass of the moving object in kilogram (kg)
ν refers to velocity of the moving object in meter per second (m/s)

Q. 2 Given the information above, what is now the momentum of an object that is not
moving? ______________________________________________________________________________.

If any object of any mass is not moving, it has zero momentum since its velocity is zero.
Let us first consider the situation below and try to answer the given questions.

Q.3 Suppose you ride a bus from Zamboanga City to Pagadian City. What do you think
will happen to the bus after if it passes along a curvy road? ____________

a. The bus will slow down. b. The bus will speed up or move faster. c. The velocity of the bus will not change.

Q.4 After passing a curvy road, the bus travels in a straight road. How will you describe
the velocity of the bus? ______________
a. it increases b. it decreases c. it does not change at all

Q.5There were only 25 passengers in the bus. Along the way, 5 passengers drop at Ipil
bus stop, and another 4 passengers dropped-off at Sindangan bus stop. What can you say
about the mass of the bus? ________________
a. it increases b. it decreases c. it does not change at all

Problem Solving: Use the equation p = m.v m=p/v and v = p / m on a separate sheet of paper

1. Calculate for the momentum of :

a. 5000 kg car moving at 50 km/h along the coast of Sinunuc.

b. a 0.5 kg tortoise moving at 0.5 m/s
c. a 200 kg hippopotamus lying on the pond.
d. a 150 g bullet leaving the barrel at 1000 m/s.
2.. What is the momentum of a 20 kg girl rolling from an elevated hill if its velocity is 5 m/s?
3. The momentum of an object is 20 kg m/s, if its velocity is found to be 50 m/s, what is its mass?
4. An object with a known mass of 500 g possess a momentum of 200 kg m/s, at what velocity is it moving?

Impulse = Change in Momentum

 When the object slows down or moves faster, its velocity decreases or increases. If there is
a change in the velocity or the mass of an object, there is also a change in momentum.
That change of momentum is called Impulse.

What do you think the impulse of an object moving with constant momentum?
Constant means there is no change. Therefore, there is no impulse or zero impulse for objects moving with constant
momentum.
Activity 1A: Identification. Write the correct answer on the space provided before each number.

____________________ 1. The change in momentum. __________________ 2. Quantity of matter in an object.

____________________ 3. Equal to the product of mass and velocity. ______________________ 4. Being moved
____________________ 5. The speed at which an object travels.

Activity 1B. Sentence Completion

A moving object possess ___________________. The __________________ of a moving object is directly
proportional to its _______________ and its _________________. An object at rest has _________, while an object that
moves possess ______________.

Activity 2. Read the following statements below. Check ( ∕ )the box before each number if you agree on statement and
mark X on the box, if you disagree.

Suppose a car (the one pictured below) is travelling along a concrete road (A), curvy road (B), rough road (C) and cemented
road (D).

______ 1. At point A, the car increases its velocity. Then, there is a change in the momentum of the car.
______ 2. At point B, the car should increase its velocity and to have less momentum.
______ 3. There is no impulse when driving along point C.
______ 4. If the car has constant velocity along point D and beyond, the car’s impulse is zero.

Relationship of Impulse and Momentum to Collision of Objects

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to determine the relationship of impulse and momentum to collision of objects.

You know already that any moving object has momentum. It is equal to the product of mass and velocity. Impulse, on the
other hand is a change in momentum of a moving object. What will happen to a moving object if it collides with another
object?

Suppose you are playing billiard in which all the balls are of the same mass. The cue ball and Ball #1 are initially at rest.
Then, you use the cue (long tapered stick or tako) to hit Ball #1. After the collision, Ball #1 had a greater velocity than the
cue ball.

Activity 3: Based on the given illustration, answer the following questions:

1. What did you observe on the mass of the cue ball before and after collision? _______________________________
2. How about the mass of ball #1 before and after collision? _______________________________________________
3. Since it is initially at rest, the initial velocity of the balls is ______.
4. After collision, is there a change in velocity of the cue ball? _______
5. After collision, is there a change in velocity of ball number 1? _______
From the given situation, is there a change in momentum after hitting ball # 1? Let’s find out.

In Lesson 1, you already learned that if there is a change in the velocity or the mass of an object, there is also a change in
momentum. Let us take a look on the illustration of the collision between the cue ball and Ball #1 once again (Figure 2.1)
and answer the questions that follows.

6. Is there a change in momentum of the cue ball? ______________________

Why? ________________________________________
7. Is there a change in momentum of the Ball #1? _______________________
Why? _______________________________________
8. Which ball has a greater change in momentum: the cue ball or Ball #1?
______________________________________________
9. Which ball has a greater impulse: the cue ball or Ball #1? ______________________________________________

Since the cue ball and Ball #1 have a change in velocity after collision, then both balls have a change in momentum.
The Ball #1 has a greater change in momentum because it has a greater change in velocity. In collisions, an object that
experiences a change in momentum has a greater impulse. Therefore, this shows the relationship between impulse and
momentum, that a change in momentum is equal to impulse.

Activity 4. Read the following situations involving collisions and answer the questions that follows.
Situation 1: Suppose that two cars with equal masses collide with each other. Car A travels faster than Car B. They both
stopped after collision.

a. Which of the two cars has the greatest change of velocity? ________________
b. Which car has the greater change in momentum? Explain your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________.
c. Which car has the greater impulse? ________________

In other words, the object that experience a greater impulse is the one that has the greater change in momentum.

Situation 2: A basketball and ping pong ball collided having the same velocity but different mass as shown above.
a. Which ball has a lesser momentum? ________________
b. Which ball has a greater impulse? ________________

Situation 3: Two marbles collide. Marble A has greater mass and velocity while Marble B has smaller mass and velocity.

a. Which has a greater momentum- marble A or B? ________________

b. Which marble has a greater impulse? ________________
c. Which marble would you think will be thrown away? ___________________
d. Why? ______________________________

Concepts to remember:
 Momentum means “mass in motion”. It is equal to the product of mass and velocity of an object.
 If you increase either the mass or the velocity, the momentum of that object increases too.
 If you double the mass or velocity, you also double the momentum.
 An object’s change in momentum is equal to impulse.
 Impulse is the change in momentum of a moving object.
 Momentum is the tendency of an object to continue moving. It refers to the quantity of motion that an object has.
 Operationally defined as the mass in motion.
 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 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.
 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.
 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.
 The impulse experienced by an object is the force•time.
 The impulse equals the momentum change.

Conservation of Linear Momentum

Situation 1
Imagine a 10-wheelers truck collided with a small car which is not moving. After they collide, the two vehicles are now
stuck together as they move forward. Will their combined speed be greater than, equal to, or less than the speed of the
truck before the collision? Defend your answer.
MOMENTUM BEFORE AND AFTER COLLISION
Newton’s Third law of motion states that if an object exerts a force on the other, the other object also exerts force towards
it with equal magnitude. Suppose two cars with different masses collide with each other. During collision, the two cars
gained the same momentum but moved in opposite direction. Since the cars have different masses, they will accelerate
differently as stated in Newton’s second law of motion. There are 3 different types of Potential energy.

Note: In studying momentum of the two or more colliding objects, we will consider a closed system or isolated system. It is
considered a closed system if no external force is exerted on the system like air resistance, friction and the like hence the
same objects were present or used before and after (or no one enters or leaves in it) an event.

In all collisions, momentum is conserved. This is because of the law of conservation of momentum.

The law of conservation of momentum states that:

when two objects in an isolated system collide, the total momentum of the objects before the collision is equal to the
total momentum of the objects after the collision.
Mathematically;
Eq. 1: m1v1+m2v2=(m1+m2) v′
Where:
m1 = mass of the first object in kilogram (kg);
v1 = velocity of the first object before collision in meter per second (m/s);
m2 = mass of the second object in kilogram (kg);
v2 = velocity of the second object before collision in meter per sec (m/s); and
v′ = velocity of the combined object after collision in meter per sec (m/s)

Sample Problem # 1

A 0.2-kg billiard ball traveling at 1.5 m/s on a table undergoes a collision with another 0.15-kg billiard ball
travelling at 2.0 m/s. The two cue balls stick together after collision. What is the velocity of the combined balls
after the collision?

Step 1: Identify the given in the problem

m1=0.2 kg (mass of the first billiard ball)

m2=0.10 kg (mass of the second billiard ball)
v1=1.5 m/s (velocity of the first billiard ball)
v2=3.0 m/s (velocity of the second billiard ball)

Step 2: Identify what is asked in the problem.

You are asked to determine the velocity of the combined (v’) balls after the collision:
v' = ? (velocity of the combined balls)

Step 3: What is asked in the problem?

v' = ? (solve for the combined velocity of the two cue balls after collision)

Step 4: Use the equation to solve for the unknown.

p(before)=p(after)

(total momentum before collision = total momentum after collision

m1v1+m2v2=(m1+m2)v′ v’ is the combined velocity of the two cue balls

(0.20 kg)(1.5m/s)+(0.10kg)(3.0m/s)=(0.20 kg + 0.10kg)v′

0.30 kg●m/s + 0.3 kg●m/s = (0.30 kg) v’
0.60 kg●m/s = (0.30 kg) v’
0.30 kg 0.30 kg
Answer: 2 m/s= v’

Step 5: Thus by simplifying the equations above, the velocity of the combined cue balls after the collision is:
v′=2.0 m/s
Therefore: the two billiard balls moved together 2.0 m/s towards the direction of motion of the first ball.

Sample Problem # 2

A 1.5 kg bowling ball moves in an alley at 2 m/s. It collides with and sticks to a bowling pin of mass 0.2 kg, which
is stationary before collision. What is the velocity of the combined ball and pin after collision?

Step 1: Identify the given in the problem

m1=1.5 kg (mass of the bowling ball)
m2=0.20 kg (mass of the bowling pin)
v1=1.2 m/s (velocity of the bowling ball)
before collision
v2=0 m/s (velocity of the bowling pin since it is stationary)

Step 2: Identify what is asked in the problem.

You are asked to determine the velocity of the combined (v’) objects after the collision:
v' = ? (velocity of the combined objects

Step 3: What is asked in the problem?

v' = ? (solve for the combine velocity of the two objects after collision)

Step 4: Use the equation to solve for the unknown.

p(before)=p(after)
(total momentum before collision = total momentum after collision)
m1v1+m2v2=(m1+m2) v′ v’ is the combined velocity of the two
objects
(1.5 kg)(2 m/s)+(0.50 kg)(0 m/s)=(1.5 kg + 0.5 kg)v′
3.0 kg●m/s + 0 kg●m/s = (2.0 kg) v’
3.0 kg●m/s = (2.0 kg) v’
2.0 kg 2.0 kg
Answer: 1.5 m/s

Step 5: Thus by simplifying the equations above, the velocity of the combined carts after the collision is:
Therefore the bowling ball and pin moved together at 1.5 m/s towards the direction of the bowling ball.

Problem Solving on Conservation of Linear Momentum. Use a separate sheet of paper to solve these problems.
1. A 5 kg object moving to the right with a velocity of 10 m/s collides with an object of unknown mass moving
toward it with the same velocity. What is the mass of the unknown object if after collision the 2 objects moved
to right at 4m/s?
2. A 5.0 kg fish is swimming at 2.0 m/s towards a sleeping 1.5 kg fish. What is the velocity of the big fish after
lunch?
3. A 10 kg ball moving at 10 m/s collides with a stationary 5 kg ball. After collision, the 10 kg ball is moving in the
same direction at 5 m/s. What is the velocity of the 5 kg ball after collision?
Name: ______________________________ Score: __________________
Grade 9 ____________________________ Date: ___________________
Assessment

Test I. Modified True or False.

Direction:Write TRUE on the space provided before the number if the statement is correct, but if it is false, change the
underline word or group of words to make the whole statement true.

_____1. An object which is moving at a constant speed has momentum.

_____2. Two objects of different masses are moving at the same speed; the more massive object will have the greater
momentum.
_____3. A less massive object can never have more momentum that a more massive object.
_____4. Two different objects are moving at the same speed. The smaller object is difficult to stop.
_____5. An object with varying speed will have varying momentum.
_____6. Objects involved in collisions encounter impulses.
_____7. Impulse is the force needed to produce a change in the body’s momentum through a combination of changes in its
mass and/or velocity
_____7. An object which experiences a net impulse will definitely experience a momentum change.
_____8. In a collision, the impulse experienced by an object is not equal to its momentum change.
_____9. Two cars with the same mass collided but having different velocity. Car B travels faster than Car A. Therefore, Car
A has greater momentum change than Car B.
_____10. Two objects collide. Object A has greater mass and velocity while Object B has smaller mass and velocity. In this
case, Object A has greater change of momentum or impulse.

For question 10, refer to this illustration on the below.

______11. A moving object has momentum.

______12. When the object slows down, the velocity increases.
______13. An object with zero velocity has zero momentum.
______14. An object moving with constant momentum has impulse.
______15. If there is no change in momentum, there would be no impulse.
______ 16. An object that moves possess momentum.
______ 17. A sleeping hippopotamus possess momentum.
______ 18. A bullet moving at 400 m/s possess less momentum than a 10 wheeler truck that is at rest.
______ 19. Mass and speed are factors that affect momentum.
______ 20. The mass of the object does not affect momentum.
______ 21. Momentum is conserved when two colliding objects have the same mass and the same momentum.
______ 22. Momentum is conserved regardless of the colliding object’s mass and velocity.
______ 23. Elastic collision is a type of collision where the colliding objects simply bounces back and no deformation and
loss of heat takes place.
______ 24. Inelastic collision is a type of collision where the colliding objects get stuck after collision and there is
deformation and loss of heat takes place.
______ 25. In inelastic collision, the direction of the motion after the two objects collide is always in favor of the object
with greater momentum.
Test II. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the letter of the best answer and write
_________ 1. Which of following describes momentum?
a. Mass times its velocity. c. Force times its acceleration.
b. Force times the time interval. d. Mass times its acceleration.
_________ 2. Which of these is the quantity of matter in an object?
a. force b. mass c. motion d. time
_________ 3. What is impulse?
a. the change in volume of an object. c. the original momentum of the object.
b. the change in momentum of an object d. a force applied to an object for a period of time.
_________ 4. Which of the following would describe momentum?
a. p=mv b. p=m/v c. p=v/t d. p=F/t
_________5. What is the impulse of an object moving with constant momentum?
a. 0 b. 1 c. the same with momentum d. none of these
________6. Which requires a greater stopping force?
a. a car that is at rest b. a puppy that runs at 10 m/s c. a cheetah that moves at 30 m/s d. cannot be determined
________ 7. Longer stopping time will result to,
a. less damage b. greater damage c. depends d. can not be determined
3. Impulse can be increased and decreased when these two factors are observed,
I. Force II. Velocity III. Mass IV. Time
a. I & II b. II & III c. I & IV d. III & IV
_______ 8. Soft surfaces will result to,
a. lesser damage b. greater damage c. no damage d. none of them
______ 9. The relationship between impulse and momentum of colliding object is,
a. directly proportional b. inversely proportional c. varies indirectly d. both a and c

Test III. What’s the Word?

Direction: Arrange the following jumbled words to form terms related to conservation of momentum. Write your answers
on your answer sheets. These are the physics terms that you will need to know,
_____________1. OILLICSON - an instance of one moving object or person striking violently against another.
_____________2. DVSCEONER - refers to something which doesn't change.
_____________3. MUTNEMMO - product of the mass of a particle and its velocity
_____________4. LEUQA - the same.
_____________5. TEMSYS - an organized collection of parts that are highly integrated to accomplish an overall goal.

Multiple Choice 2: Conservation of momentum

Read the statements carefully. Choose the BEST answer. Write the letter of your answers on the space provided before
each number.
______1.) Which of the following statements describes momentum?
A. It is the product of body’s mass and velocity. C. It is the product of body’s mass and acceleration.
B. It is the sum of body’s mass and velocity. D. It is the sum of body’s mass and acceleration
______2.) Two billiard balls approach each other at equal speed. If they collide in a perfectly elastic collision, what would
be their velocities after collision?
A. zero B. same in magnitude and direction C. same in magnitude but opposite in direction
D. different in magnitude and opposite in direction
_____3.) Two marbles with a total mass of 20 kg has an initial momentum of 100 kg m/s. If the marbles stick together after
the collision, what is the final velocity of the marbles?
A. 5 m/s B. 80 m/s C. 120 m/s D. 2, 000 m/s
______4.) What is the unit for momentum?
A. kgm/s B. Nkg C. kgm/s2 D. Nm/s
______ 5.) What word can best describe the total momentum in an isolated system?
A. conserved B. large C. lost D. low
______ 6.) What is the unit of velocity?
A. kg B. kg m/s C. m/s D. all of these 13
For Nos. 7 & 8. Consider this problem… Two 0.5 kg ball approached each other at the same speed of 2.0 mls.
_____ 7.) What is the total mentum of the system before collision?
A. 0 B.0.50 kg m/s C. 1.0 kg m/s D.-1.0 kg m/s
______8.) If there is no external force acting on the system, what is the total momentum of the system after collision?
A. 0 B.0.50 kg m/s C. 1.0 kg m/s D.-1.0 kg m/s
______ 9.) Calculate the momentum of a car, which has a mass of 1000 kg and moves with a velocity of 2 m/s.
A. 500 B. 1, 002 C. 2000 D. 9 980
______ 10.) The total momentum of two objects before collision is 175 kg. m/s. What will be their total momentum after
collision?
A.50 kg m/s B. 350 kg m/s C. 175 kg m/s D. not enough information