V 1.

0 Table of Contents 7/21/2023

2023

Dynamics
AS Physics Unit 3
V 1.1 Table of Contents 7/21/2023

Table of Contents
Table of Contents...................................................... 1
Newton’s Laws of Motion & Momentum..................................... 3
Newton’s Laws of Motion .............................................. 3
The First Law ...................................................... 3
The Second Law ..................................................... 3
The Third Law ...................................................... 3
Momentum (Linear Momentum) ........................................... 4
Key Information .................................................... 4
Equations .......................................................... 4
Linear Momentum .................................................... 4
Linking Momentum and Newton’s Laws ................................. 4
Weight ............................................................... 6
Key Information .................................................... 6
Measuring Mass & Weight ............................................ 6
Normal Contact Force ............................................... 6
Non-Uniform Motion..................................................... 7
Viscous/Drag Force ................................................... 7
Terminal Velocity & Air Resistance ................................. 7
Immersing an Object into a Fluid ................................... 8
Free Body Diagrams ................................................... 9
Linear Momentum & Its Conservation..................................... 9
Conservation of Momentum ............................................. 9
Collisions .......................................................... 10
Using the Principal of Conservation of Momentum ................... 10
Momentum & Impulse .................................................. 11
Deriving Impulse .................................................. 11
A Revelation ...................................................... 11
Elastic & Inelastic Collisions ...................................... 12
Elastic Collisions ................................................ 12
Inelastic Collisions .............................................. 12
Past Paper Questions.................................................. 13
Question 1 [May/June 2009 21] ....................................... 13

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V 1.1 Table of Contents 7/21/2023
Question 2 [May/June 2020 13] ....................................... 14
Question 3 [May/June 2020 21] ....................................... 15
Question 4 [Feb/Mar 2023 12] ........................................ 16
Question 5 [May/June 2016 23] ....................................... 17
Sources (and Resources) Used.......................................... 20
Licencing Information................................................. 20

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 V 1.1 Newton’s Laws of Motion & Momentum 7/21/2023

Newton’s Laws of Motion & Momentum

Newton’s Laws of Motion
Mass is the property of an object which resists the change in motion.

The First Law

“Every object continues to stay in its state of rest, or with uniform
velocity, unless it is acted upon by a resultant force.”

This tells us that a force disturbs the state of rest or velocity of an

object, this property of staying in a state of rest or uniform velocity
is known as “inertia”.

The Second Law

“For an object of constant mass, its acceleration is directly proportional
to the resultant force applied to it.”

The second law…

1. Tells us what happens if a force is exerted on an object which causes
the velocity to change.
→ A force exerted on an object may increase/decreases its speed or
change its direction of motion.
2. Relates to magnitude of this acceleration to the force applied.
Equations
Word Equation: Symbol Equation:
𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 = 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 × 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
Quantity Name Unit
F Resultant Force Newtons (n)
m Mass Kilograms (kg)
a Acceleration Meters/second2 (ms-2)

The Third Law

“Whenever one object exerts a force on another, the second object exerts and
equal and opposite force on the first.”

As mentioned, when we for example push a trolley, the following happen:

1. We exert a force on the trolley (because we push it).
2. The trolley exerts and equally strong force on us (as it has mass
which resists the change in motion, the friction, etc.).

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 V 1.1 Newton’s Laws of Motion & Momentum 7/21/2023
Momentum (Linear Momentum)
Key Information
→ The momentum of an object is defined as a product of its mass (m) and
velocity (v).
→ It is a vector quantity.
→ Has the unit of kgms-1 or Ns.

Equations
Word Equation Symbol Equation
𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 × 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑝 = 𝑚𝑣
Quantity Name Unit
p Momentum kgms-1 or Ns
m Mass kg
v Velocity ms-1

Linear Momentum
Momentum has two types:
1. Angular Momentum
2. Linear Momentum
In AS Physics, we don’t really need to concern ourselves with Angular
Momentum so when we talk about Momentum, we are referring to Linear
Momentum.
By linear momentum we are talking about the product of an object’s mass
(m) and velocity (v).

Linking Momentum and Newton’s Laws

The First Law (p = constant)
Newton’s first law states that every object continues in a state of
rest, or with uniform velocity unless acted upon by a resultant force.
1. This in terms of momentum would mean that if an object maintains a
uniform velocity, its momentum does not change.
2. Same goes for when it is at rest, momentum does not change.
𝑝 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡(𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒)

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 V 1.1 Newton’s Laws of Motion & Momentum 7/21/2023
The Second Law (F = ∆p/∆t)
We know that Newton’s second law states force as a product of an
object’s acceleration and mass.
This concept can be expressed in terms of momentum:
1. As we know, acceleration is the rate of change in velocity.
2. This means that the product of acceleration and mass, we could also say
that it is the product of mass and the rate of change in velocity.
3. For an object of constant mass, the force would be the same as the rate
of change in (mass × velocity).
This gives us the following statement:

“The resultant force acting on an object is proportional to the rate of

change in its momentum.”

4. This can be rephrased to say that the force is the rate of change in
momentum (because mass × velocity is the formula of momentum).
The constant of proportionality is made to one as talked about earlier,
this gives us the statement:

“The resultant force acting on an object is equal to the rate of change of

momentum of that object.”

As a formula, we can write: Where:

∆𝑝 ► F is the resultant force.
𝐹=
∆𝑡 ► ∆p is the change in momentum.
► ∆t is the change in time.
The Third Law
We already know that force is equal to the rate of change in momentum.
1. This allows us to change the third law to:

“The rate of change of momentum due to the force on one object is equal and
opposite to the rate of change of momentum due to the force on other
object.”

2. This means that when 2 objects collide/exert force, they experience an

equal and opposite force on themselves.
3. This means that their changes of momentum are equal & opposite as well.

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 V 1.1 Newton’s Laws of Motion & Momentum 7/21/2023
Weight
Key Information
1. Weight is the effect of a gravitational field acting on a mass.
2. It is equal to the product of an object’s mass & acceleration of free
fall.
3. Has the unit of Newtons (N).
𝑊 = 𝑚𝑔 or 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 × 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙
Note: If the object is on earth, we take g as 9.81ms-2.

Measuring Mass & Weight

Measuring Weight
Weight is usually measured using a Newton balance.
1. This is done by hanging the object to the hook of the balance.
2. The weight of the object is balanced out by a force from the spring in
the balance.
3. From a previous calibration, the force is related to the extension of
the spring and shows us the magnitude of the opposing force which is
also the weight of the object.
Measuring Mass
Top-pan Balance Lever Balance
The term balance refers to the This is when we have a balance
balance of forces. which acts like a seesaw.
Here, the unknown force (due to the Basically, we find the mass of the
weight) is balanced by a force object by balancing its weight
which is known through previous using counterweights of known
calibration of the tool. mass/weight.

Normal Contact Force

An object always has weight even when it is at rest.
The reason for this is related to Newton’s first law
and means that the resultant force is 0N.
This means that there is a force of equal and
opposite magnitude on the force which is exerted on
the object by the floor.
This opposing force is the “normal contact force”.

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 V 1.0 Non-Uniform Motion 7/21/2023
But wait… Isn’t This Related to The Third Law?
No, it is not.
The reason for this is because the forces of the third law always act on
different bodies rather than the same.
Here, the forces act on the same object and is therefore not the case.

Non-Uniform Motion
Let’s saw we pull a box along a surface.
When this happens, there are four main forces
acting on the box:
1. Weight of book (W)
2. Normal Contact force (R)
3. Frictional force (F)
4. Pulling force (P)
The magnitudes of both forces (P and F) also
change the motion of the box:
1. P is greater than F:
This results in the box accelerating as the force of P overpowers the
force of F.
2. P is equal to F:
This results in the object moving at uniform velocity where it neither
accelerates nor decelerates.

Viscous/Drag Force
This term is used to describe the frictional force in a fluid.
We can find this force given that we know how viscous the fluid is.
As the viscosity of a fluid increases, so does the frictional force
(same goes the other way round).

Terminal Velocity & Air Resistance

If you think about it, air counts as a fluid and therefore the air
resistance is the viscous or drag force.
Usually, we just ignore the air resistance but there are times when it
is crucial.

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 V 1.1 Non-Uniform Motion 7/21/2023
Explaining Terminal Velocity
When an object falls through a resistive fluid, the velocity of the
object doesn’t increase forever.
It reaches a maximum velocity called “terminal velocity”.
This is because, as time goes on, the drag force increases until
eventually the drag force and weight of the object falling balance out
which leaves us with the object falling at a constant velocity.
The Graph
As said earlier, as time goes on, the object’s
acceleration falls due to the increasing drag
force until both forces cancel out and we are
left with no acceleration meaning uniform
velocity (terminal velocity).
On the graph, we would see a curve similar to
the one shown on the right.

Immersing an Object into a Fluid

When an object is immersed into a fluid (such as oil), it experiences
three main forces:
1. The viscous force.
2. The upthrust force.
3. The weight.
The Upthrust Force
When an object is submerged into a fluid, it experiences a greater
pressure on its bottom surface than on its top surface which results in
an upward force.
The Forces
If we were to drop a ball into a fluid, the
forces would act like so:
1. Viscous force acting upwards.
2. Upthrust force acting upwards.
3. Weight force acting downwards.

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 V 1.1 Linear Momentum & Its Conservation 7/21/2023
Reaching Terminal Velocity
As an object falls through a fluid, the viscous force increases along
with the object’s velocity.
The ends up with the total upwards force balancing with the total
downwards force:
𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 𝑈𝑝𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 + 𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
This causes the acceleration to become zero and therefore achieves
terminal velocity.

Free Body Diagrams

These are diagrams which shows the object which we care about and all
the forces which act on it.
This gives us a clearer picture of the situation and makes it easier for
us to find the answer.

Linear Momentum & Its Conservation

Conservation of Momentum
Let’s take a system of 2 particles which exert a force on each other:

Let’s say that particle 1 exerts a force F on particle 2, this causes

particle 2 to exert a force –F on the first (due to the third law).
Thinking in terms of momentum:
→ The change in momentum of the second particle due to the first is equal
and opposite to the change in momentum of the first particle.
→ This is as a result of the force exerted on the first particle by the
second particle.
This leads to the changes in momentum of both particles to cancel out
which results in the momentum of the system of these two particles to
remain constant meaning that the particles just “exchanged” momentum.
As an equation, we would see:
𝑝 = 𝑝1 + 𝑝2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
Where
► P = total momentum. ► P1 & p2 = individual momenta.

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 V 1.1 Linear Momentum & Its Conservation 7/21/2023
More General Explanation

“If no external force acts on a system, the total momentum of the system
remains constant or is conserved.”

The fact that the total momentum of an isolated system is constant is

the principle of conservation of momentum is due to the third law.
What is an Isolated System?
An isolated system is simply a system on which no external force acts.
Think of it like a little box which is not affected by the rest of the
universe.

Collisions
Let’s say two balls collide in a closed system:

Where…
→ Ball 1 has:
1. Mass m1.
2. Initial velocity (before collision) u1.
3. Final velocity (after collision) -v1.
→ Ball 2 has:
1. Mass m2.
2. Initial velocity (before collision) -u2.
3. Final velocity (after collision) v2.

Using the Principal of Conservation of Momentum

Using the principal of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of
the isolated system is constant.
This concept shows that we must equate the total momentums before and
after the collision:
Momentum before Collision: Momentum after Collision:
𝑚1 𝑢1 − 𝑚2 𝑢2 −𝑚1 𝑣1 + 𝑚2 𝑣2
Total Momentum:
𝑚1 𝑢1 − 𝑚2 𝑢2 = −𝑚1 𝑣1 + 𝑚2 𝑣2

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 V 1.1 Linear Momentum & Its Conservation 7/21/2023
Solving Questions Related to Conservation of Momentum
Questions usually ask us to find some unknown variable (such as u or v).
The best way to go around doing this question is:
1. Draw a diagram showing the situation before and after the collision with
the velocities and their directions.
2. Obtain an expression for total momentum before and after the collision.
3. Now we can equate the momentums from step 2 and solve to get the unknown
variable.

Momentum & Impulse

Impulse is the product of a force acting on an object and the time for
which it acts.
This is given by the formula:
𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑒 = 𝐹∆𝑡

Deriving Impulse
If we remember Newton’s second law, we know the formula:
∆𝑝
𝐹=
∆𝑡
When we rearrange to make ∆𝑝 the subject, we get:
∆𝑝 = 𝐹∆𝑡

A Revelation
If we look at the derived formula, we see that ∆𝑝 = ∆𝐹𝑡.
This means that the impulse of a force is equal to the change in
momentum (∆p).
Usually, we are asked for things (such as the value of F) given that we
know the other variables.
This means that we can equate the change in momentum to impulse and
solve for force.
𝐹∆𝑡 = 𝑚1 (𝑢1 + 𝑣1 ) − 𝑚2 (𝑢2 + 𝑣2 )

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 V 1.1 Linear Momentum & Its Conservation 7/21/2023
Elastic & Inelastic Collisions
We decide whether a collision is inelastic or elastic depending on how
much of the kinetic energy was conserved.

Elastic Collisions
This is when the total kinetic energy before collision is equal to the
total kinetic energy after the collision.
If we took the figure from the previous section, the equation for
kinetic energies would look like so:
1 1 1 1
𝑚1 𝑢1 2 + 𝑚2 𝑢2 2 = 𝑚1 𝑣1 2 + 𝑚2 𝑢2 2
2 2 2 2
For a perfectly elastic collision, we would see that:
𝑢1 + 𝑢2 = 𝑣1 + 𝑣2
This only works when the initial velocity is equal to the final
velocity.
Elastic collisions only work for collisions of molecules or atoms unlike
large-scale collisions such as snooker balls.
The snooker ball collisions can never be elastic because there is a
chance some of the energy becomes sound and heat energy.
However, we usually just assume that a collision is perfectly elastic.

Inelastic Collisions
This is when there is a difference between the initial and final kinetic
energies.
There are a few things we should know:
1. The total energy remains the same (due to the conservation of energy).
2. The kinetic energy changes as the rest of the energy is transferred into
some other energy stores (such as heat or sound).
3. The momentum remains equal (due to conservation of energy).

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 V 1.1 Past Paper Questions 7/21/2023

Past Paper Questions

Question 1 [May/June 2009 21]
A ball B of mass 1.2kg travelling at constant velocity collides head-on
with a stationary ball S of mass 3.6kg, as shown in Fig. 2.1.

Fig. 2.1
Frictional forces are negligible.
The variation with time 𝑡 of the velocity 𝑣 of ball B before, during and
after colliding with ball S is shown in Fig 2.2.

Fig. 2.2
5

0
0 0.18 0.3 0.5

-1

-2

1. State the significance of positive and negative values for v in Fig 2.2.
It indicates that the ball is moving in the negative direction.
2. Use Fig. 2.2 to determine, for ball B during the collision with ball S.
a. The change in momentum of ball B.
We can take the values of the highest and lowest values in fig 2.2 and
put that into the formula for change in momentum:
1.2(4 + 0.8) = 1.2(4.8) = 5.76 𝑁𝑠

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 V 1.1 Past Paper Questions 7/21/2023
b. The magnitude of the force acting on ball B.
Here we can use the formula 𝐹𝑡 = ∆𝑝.
Where ∆𝑝 is 5.76 and 𝑡 is 0.08 (The x-axis distance for the fall):

Now, we can put these values into the formula and make F the subject:
∆𝑝 5.76
𝐹= = = 72𝑁
𝑡 0.08
3. Calculate the speed of ball S after the collision.
One key thing to remember is that ∆𝑝 before the collision is going to be
equal to ∆𝑝 after the collision.
5.76 = 3.6 × 𝑣
5.76
𝑣= = 1.6 𝑚𝑠 −1
3.6
4. Using your answer to (3) and information from Fig 2.2, deduce the
quantitively whether the collision is elastic or inelastic.
We know that the initial velocity is 4 ms-1 and the velocity at
separation is 2.4 ms-1 (0.8 + 1.6).
Since there is a difference between the two, we can say that collision is
inelastic as the velocities are not equal (they would be equal if the
collision was elastic).

Question 2 [May/June 2020 13]

A ball of mass 𝑚 travels vertically downwards and then hits a horizontal
floor at speed 𝑢.
It rebounds vertically upwards with speed 𝑣.
The collision lasts a time ∆𝑡.
What is the average resultant force exerted on the ball during the
collision?
A B C D
𝑚𝑣 − 𝑚𝑢 𝑚𝑣 − 𝑚𝑢 𝑚𝑣 + 𝑚𝑢 𝑚𝑣 + 𝑚𝑢
∆𝑡 ∆𝑡 ∆𝑡 ∆𝑡
Downwards Upwards Downwards Upwards
Explanation:
We are asked for the resultant force therefore we use 𝐹𝑡 = ∆𝑝.
𝑚𝑣−(−𝑚𝑢) 𝑚𝑣+𝑚𝑢
Rearranging this we get 𝐹 = = ∆𝑡 (assuming upwards is positive).
∆𝑡
Since we know that we must find the force acting on the ball, we can
say that it acts upwards (as it rebounds).
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 V 1.1 Past Paper Questions 7/21/2023
Question 3 [May/June 2020 21]
1. Define Velocity
Velocity is a vector quantity which measures the rate of change in
displacement.
2. A rock of mass 7.5kg is projected vertically upwards from the surface of
a planet. The rock leaves the planet’s surface with a speed of 4.0 ms-1
at time t = 0. The variation with time t of the velocity v of the rock is
shown in Fig. 1.1.

Fig. 1.1
5

3
Velocity/ms-1

0
0 1 2 3 4
-1

-2

-3
Time/s

Assume that the planet does not have an atmosphere and that the viscous
force acting on the rock is always zero.
a. Determine the height of the rock above the surface of the planet at
time t = 4.0s.
Let’s split this up into 2 sections:
1. Finding maximum height.
2. Subtracting the distance at t = 4 from the maximum point.

Part 1:
Here, we can simply find the area under the graph in positive area:
𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 1⁄2 × 4 × 2.5 = 5𝑚
Part 2:
This is when we find the area above the gradient in the negative
direction:
𝑠𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 = 1⁄2 × 2.4 × 1.5 = 1.8𝑚
Now, we can subtract these two values to give us the height at t = 4:
𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 5 − 1.8 = 3.2𝑚

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 V 1.1 Past Paper Questions 7/21/2023
b. Determine the change in momentum of the rock from time t = 0 to time
t = 4.0s.
Simply use ∆𝑝 = 𝑚(𝑣 − 𝑢) like so:
∆𝑝 = 7.5(−4 − 2.4) = 48 𝑁𝑠
c. Determine the weight W of the rock on this planet.
To find weight, we can use the formula 𝐹∆𝑡 = ∆𝑝.
In this equation, we can replace F with W which gives us:
𝑊∆𝑡 = ∆𝑝
We now simply rearrange and substitute the values in:
∆𝑝 48
𝑊= 𝑊= = 12𝑁
∆𝑡 4
3. In practice, the planet in (2) does have an atmosphere that causes a
viscous force to act on the moving rock.
State and explain the variation, if any, in the resultant force acting on
the rock as it moves upwards.
As the rock moves upwards, the velocity decreases.
As the velocity falls, so does the viscous force.
This causes the resultant force to reduce as well.
Explanation:
To make life easier, we first make a little drawing.
This helps us visualize the forces:
1. Velocity: acting upwards (as it was thrown).
2. Weight: Acts down (naturally).
3. Viscous Force: Acts down (opposite to velocity).

Obviously, the rock decelerates as it goes up and

therefore velocity decreases.
Since velocity falls, the viscous force also decreases
as it is dependent on the velocity.
Since the viscous force is acting downwards, it causes
the resultant force to decrease.

Question 4 [Feb/Mar 2023 12]

Which expression defines force?
A (𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 × 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑) × 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 Explanation:
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 × 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 We know that the formula of F in
B terms of momentum is:
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
C (𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚) × 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝐹∆𝑡 = ∆𝑝
Therefore, the answer is:
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚
D 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

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 V 1.1 Past Paper Questions 7/21/2023
Question 5 [May/June 2016 23]
1. State the law of conservation of momentum.
The total momentum of a system stays constant given that it is a closed
or isolated system.
2. Two particles A and B collide elastically, as shown in the figure below:

The initial velocity of A is 500 ms-1 in the x-direction & B is at rest.

The velocity of A after the collision is vA at 60 to the x-axis. The
velocity of B after the collision in vB at 30 to the x-axis.
The mass of each particle is 1.6710-27 kg.
a. Explain what is meant by the particles colliding elastically.
The total kinetic energy before the collision is equal to the total
kinetic energy after the collision.
b. Calculate the total initial momentum of A and B.
𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 × 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = (1.67 × 10−27 ) × 500
𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 8 × 10−25 𝑁𝑠

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 V 1.1 Past Paper Questions 7/21/2023
3. State an expression in terms of m, velocities vA and vB for the total
momentum after the collision.
a. In the x-direction,
𝑚𝑣𝐴 cos(60°) + 𝑚𝑣𝐵 cos(30°)
Explanation:
Here, we use basic trigonometry where we take the hypotenuse as the
momentum for both speeds and use cos to find the length of the
horizontal direction (adjacent).
For example, for vA:
𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝐴 = 𝑚 × 𝑣𝐴
ℎ𝑦𝑝 = 𝑚𝑣𝐴 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜃 = 60°
𝑎𝑑𝑗
cos(60°) =
𝑚𝑣𝐴
𝑚𝑣𝐴 cos(60°) = 𝑎𝑑𝑗
Similarly, we do the same for vB and then add with the adjacent value
of vB.
b. In the y-direction,
𝑚𝑣𝐴 sin(60°) + 𝑚𝑣𝐵 sin(30°)
Explanation:
Similar to part a, we use the trigonometric functions except we find
the opposite (vertical direction) rather than the adjacent.
For example, if we wish to find the vertical of vB:
𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝐵 = 𝑚𝑣𝐵
ℎ𝑦𝑝 = 𝑚𝑣𝐵 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜃 = 30°
𝑜𝑝𝑝
sin(30°) =
𝑚𝑣𝐵
𝑚𝑣𝐵 sin(30°) = 𝑜𝑝𝑝
Again, we use mvA to find the momentum of mvA in the y-direction and
add to the momentum we calculated from mvB.

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 V 1.1 Past Paper Questions 7/21/2023
4. Calculate the magnitudes of the velocities vA and vB after the collision.
Here, apply the conservation of momentum:
𝐼𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚
Therefore, we can equate the y and x components before and after the
collision:
8 × 10−25 = 𝑚𝑣𝐴 cos(60°) + 𝑚𝑣𝐵 cos(30°)
0 = 𝑚𝑣𝐴 sin(60°) + 𝑚𝑣𝐵 sin(30°)
Let’s start with simplifying the x-component:
8 × 10−25 = 𝑚𝑣𝐴 cos(60°) + 𝑚𝑣𝐵 cos(30°)
→ Remove the mass values which leaves us with just the speeds:
500 = 𝑣𝐴 cos(60°) + 𝑣𝐵 cos(30°)
→ Simplify the equation:

𝑣𝐴 𝑣𝐵 √3
500 = +
2 2
1000 = 𝑣𝐴 + 𝑣𝐵 √3
Now, we simplify the y-component:
0 = 𝑚𝑣𝐴 sin(60°) + 𝑚𝑣𝐵 sin(30°)
→ Now, divide by m which would give us 0 on the other side:
0 = 𝑣𝐴 sin(60°) + 𝑣𝐵 sin(30°)
𝑣𝐴 × √3 𝑣𝐵
0= −
2 2
→ We subtract vA from vB as they act in opposite directions.
Now we keep on simplifying and the make one of the velocities as the
subject:

0 = √3 𝑣𝐴 − 𝑣𝐵
𝑣𝐵 = √3 𝑣𝐴
Now, we can substitute vB into the x-component equation:
For vA: For vB:

1000 = 𝑣𝐴 + (√3 𝑣𝐴 )√3 𝑣𝐵 = √3 × 250

1000 = 𝑣𝐴 + 3 𝑣𝐴 𝑣𝐵 = 433.01
1000 = 4 𝑣𝐴
250 = 𝑣𝐴
Therefore:
vA = 250 ms-1
vB = 433.01 ms-1

Dynamics Page 19
V 1.1 Sources (and Resources) Used 7/21/2023

Sources (and Resources) Used

Most of the information has come from the AS & A Level Physics Student
Book by Hodder Education.
Other resources/tools have also been used and are listed below:

Name Link Use

Save My Exams LINK Mainly understanding
concepts to make them
ZNotes LINK simpler
Designing of figures
Canva LINK
and diagrams
Geogebra LINK Vector diagrams
Papa Cambridge LINK Topical Questions
AS/A Level Syllabus LINK Checking syllabus
Word 2010 LINK Creating the notes
Word 365 LINK Exporting and stuff

Licencing Information
AS Level Physics Unit 3 - Dynamics © 2023 by Muhammad Sarem Tahir is
licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Dynamics Page 20
V 1.1 Licencing Information 7/21/2023
2023

Dynamics
AS Physics Unit 3