Question 1

A 400 g ball is moving horizontally towards a cricketer at a velocity of 40 m.s -1. Then it
is hit away by the cricketer in the opposite direction it had come from with a net force of
400 N. The bat makes contact with the ball for 0.1 s. Ignore the vertical motion of the
ball.

40 m.s-1

1.1. Define impulse. (2)

1.2. Calculate the initial momentum of the ball before it hits the bat. (3)
1.3. Calculate the magnitude of the final velocity of the cricket ball. (4)

1.4. When cars are equipped with flexible bumpers, they will bounce off each other during low-
speed collisions, thus causing less damage. In one such accident, car A with mass 1 750
kg, traveling to the right at 1.5m.s-1, collides with car B of mass 1 450 kg going to the left
1,1m.s-1. Measurements show that the speed of car A just after the collision has
been 0.25 m.s-1 in its original direction. Ignore the effects of friction during the collision.

1.4.1. Calculate the velocity of car B immediately after the collision. (5)
1.4.2. “When cars are equipped with flexible bumpers, they will bounce off each other during
low-speed collisions, thus causing less damage.” Explain how flexible bumpers reduce
damages during low speed collisions. (3)
[17]
Question 2
In a game of snooker/8 ball pool, the cue strikes ball A of mass 0,40 kg, as shown in the
diagram below. Ball A rolls across the table and collides with ball B of mass 0,30 kg.

A B

0 ,40 kg 0 ,30 kg

0 , 95

0 ,77

0 ,16

0
t1 0 , 25 Time (s)

The momentum versus time sketch graph is drawn (as shown above) for ball A from the
moment it is struck by the cue (t = 0 s), as it leaves the cue (t = t 1 s) and as it collides with
ball B (t = 0,25 s).
2.1. Define, in words, the term momentum as applied in physics. (2)
2.2. Use the information on the graph to:
2.2.1. Calculate the value of the time t1, if the force exerted by the cue is 65 N (4)
2.2.2. Explain why it is correct to say that the table surface is rough (2)
2.2.3. Calculate the velocity of ball B immediately after the collision (4)
[12]
Question 3
The graph below represents the NET FORCE F (versus time) on a 58 g ball that collides
with a wall. The initial speed of the ball is 34m.s-1, perpendicular to the wall. The ball re-
bounds at the same speed, perpendicular to the wall. Disregard the effect of friction.

3.1. For how long was the ball in contact with the wall? (1)
3.2. Calculate the magnitude of the maximum net force, FNET (MAX) on the ball during the
collision.
 (4)
3.3. A 4.2g bullet, moving horizontally to the right at a velocity of 360 m.s-1, strikes a stationary
block with mass m1 of 1150 g. The velocity of the block immediately after the bullet has
passed through it is 0.55 m.s-1 to the right. The bullet proceeds and strikes another stationary
block with mass m2 of 1 530 g. THE BULLET REMAINS EMBEDDED IN THE SECOND
BLOCK. Ignore the effects of friction.

3.3.1 State the principal of the conservation of linear momentum in words. (2)
3.3.2 Calculate the magnitude of the velocity of the second block after
the bullet has been embedded in the block. (6)
[15]
Question 4
A bullet is fired from a stationary gun. Assume that the bullet moves
horizontally.
Immediately after firing, the gun recoils (moves back) with a velocity of 1.4
m.s-1. The momentum of the gun after firing the bullet is observed to be
4.2kg.m.s-1. It is calculated that the gun is 150 times heavier than the bullet.
Ignore all effects of friction.

4.1. Would you consider this to be a closed or isolated system? Give a reason for your answer.
(2)
4.2. State Newton’s second law expressed in terms of momentum in words. (2)
4.3. How does the force that the bullet experience compares to the force that the gun
experience? Choose from: GREATER; SMALLER OR THE SAME AS. (1)
4.4. A learner observes that the speed of the bullet is much greater than the speed at which the
gun recoils. Give a reason to explain this observation. (2)
4.5. Calculate the velocity of the bullet just after it has been fired. (7)
[14]

Question 5
A sample of xenon gas (Xe) is sealed in a closed container. The xenon atoms are all
moving at high velocities and constantly colliding with each other as well as the container
walls. A single xenon atom has a mass of 2.2 x 10-25 kg.
 Consider a single collision between two of the atoms. Just before the collision, Atom 1
is moving with a velocity of 208 m.s-1 to the left and Atom 2 is moving with a velocity of
272 m.s-1 to the left.

1 2

BEFORE

Immediately after the two atoms collide, Atom 1 has a velocity of 272m.s-1 to the left.

1 2

IMMEDIATELY AFTER

5.1. Determine the momentum of Atom 2 immediately after the collision. (5)
5.2. According to kinetic molecular theory, this collision should be elastic. Perform a suitable
calculation to show that the collision between the two atoms is perfectly elastic. (4)
5.3. Determine the magnitude of the impulse experienced by Atom 1 during the collision. (3)
[12]

Question 6
A boy on roller blades with his hands on a fully loaded trolley, mass 18 kg, moves west
at 5 m.s-1 over a frictionless surface as shown in the sketch. The boy now pushes the
trolley so that he moves at 1 m.s-1 east after this push. The mass of the boy and his
roller blades is 45 kg.
6.1. State the conservation principle that is applicable during the interaction between the boy
and the trolley. (2)
6.2. Calculate the velocity of the trolley directly after the boy pushed it. (4)
6.3. During the pushing motion of the boy on the trolley, the trolley experiences an impulse.
How does the magnitude of the impulse that the boy experiences compare to that of the
trolley? Write down INCREASES, DECREASES or REMAINS THE SAME and explain your
answer. (3)
6.4. If the force exerted on the trolley lasts 0.4s, calculate the force that the boy exerts on the
trolley. (4)
[13]

Question 7
A 2 kg block is sliding to the right on a frictionless horizontal surface at 4m.s-1. A force of
2500 N is now exerted on the block for a short period of time as indicated in the graph below.

7.1. Calculate the magnitude of the impulse on the block. (3)

7.2. Calculate the velocity of the block immediately after the force stops
acting on the block if the force was exerted to:
7.2.1. The right (4)

7.2.2 The left (3)

[12]

Question 8
Percy, mass 75 kg, rides at 20 m.s-1 on a quad bike (motorcycle with four
wheels) with a mass of 100 kg. He suddenly applies the brakes when he
approaches a red traffic light on a wet and slippery road. The wheels of the
quad bike lock and the bike slides forward in a straight line. The force of
friction causes the bike to stop in 8 s.

8.1. Calculate the change in momentum of Percy and the bike, from the
moment the brakes lock until the bike comes to a stop. (4)
8.2. Calculate the average frictional force exerted by the road on the
wheels to stop the bike. (4)
 [8]

Question 9
The graph below shows how the momentum of car A changes with time just before and
just after a head-on collision with car B.
Car A has a mass of 1 500 kg, while the mass of car B is 900 kg.
Car B was travelling at a constant velocity of 15m.s-1 west before the collision.
Take east as positive and consider the system as isolated.

9.1 What do you understand by the term isolated system as used in physics?(1)
Use the information in the graph to answer the following questions.
9.2 Calculate the:
9.2.1 Magnitude of the velocity of car A just before the collision. (3)
9.2.2 Velocity of car B just after the collision. (5)
9.2.3 Magnitude of the net average force acting on car
A during the collision. (4)
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QUESTION 10

When a ball hits and bounces off a surface, it exerts a force on that surface. Grade 12 learners
investigated how this force varies over time as the ball hits a force sensor and bounces off. A 50
g soft ball was dropped from a height of 1,5 m vertically above a force sensor connected to a
laptop as shown on the diagram.
 Laptop

Force sensor

The following graph is obtained from the laptop:

Time (milliseconds)

10.1. Define the term impulse. (2)

10.2. Use the information on the graph to determine the magnitude of the impulse as the
ball hits and bounces off the force sensor. (2)

10.3. State the magnitude and the direction of the change in the momentum of the ball. (2)
10.4. If the velocity of the ball just before it hits the force sensor is 5,42 m∙s –1
downwards, calculate the velocity with which the ball will bounce off the sensor. (4)

10.5. The ball is now replaced with a hard ball of the same size and mass.
Will the force on the force sensor INCREASE, DECREASE OR REMAIN THE
SAME? Explain the answer. (3)
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