Worksheet 7: Linear Momentum

IMPULSE
Problem 1: In a game of softball, a 0.200-kg softball crossed the plate at 15.0 m/s at an angle of 45.00 below the horizontal. The ball was hit at 40.0 m/s, 30.00 above the horizontal.
(a) Determine the impulse applied to the ball.
Solution:
                    Initial momentum:
                            pix = (0.200 kg)(15.0 m/s)(cos -45) = 2.12 kg m/s
                            piy = (0.200 kg)(15.0 m/s)(sin -45) = -2.12 kg m/s
                    Final momentum:
                            pfx = -(0.200 kg)(40.0 m/s)(cos 30) = -6.93 kg m/s
                            pfy = (0.200 kg)(40.0 m/s)(sin 30) = 4.00 kg m/s
                    Ix = Dpx = (-6.93 -2.12) kg m/s = -9.05 kg m/s
                    Iy = Dpy = (4.00 + 2.12) kg m/s = 6.12 kg m/s
                   I = (-9.05 kg m/s)i +(6.12 kg m/s) j

(b) If the force on the ball increased linearly for 4.00 ms, held constant for 20.0 ms, then decreased linearly to 0 in another 4.00 ms, find the maximum force on the ball.
Solution:
                    The graph of the force looks like the graph below (see next problem) the only difference is that F is unknown and the base of each triangular section is 4 ms long and the length of the rectangle is 20 ms long.
                   I = F(area of triangle) +F(area of rectangle) +F(area of triangle)
                      = F (0.004 s) + F(0.020s) + F(0.004 s)
                      = F(0.028 s)
                   F = (1/0.028s)[(-9.05 kg m/s)i +(6.12 kg m/s) j]
                     F = -323 N i + 219 N j



Problem 2: The force Fx acting on a 2.0-kg particle varies in time as shown in the figure.
a)  Find the impulse of the force.
Solution:
                    Recall:  the Impulse of a force, F, is the area under the curve.  The curve above could be broken up into three geometric figures:  a triangle, a rectangle, and a triangle.  The area of a triangle is base times height and the area of a rectangle is length times width.
                    Triangle 1 has base = 2 s and a height of 4 N
                    Rectangle has a length = 4 N and a width = 1 s
                    Triangle 2 has base = 2 s and a height of  4 N
                    I = (1/2)(2 s)(4 N) + (4 N)(1 s) + (1/2)(2 s)(4 N)
                      = 4 N-s + 4 N-s + 4 N-s
                   I = 12 N-s

b)  Find the final velocity of the particle if it is initially at rest.
Solution:
                    I = pf - pi
                    12 N-s = mvf - mvi  where vi = 0
                    12 N-s = mvf
                    vf  = (12 N-s)/(2.0 kg) = 6.0 m/s

c)  Find its final velocity if it is initially moving along the x-axis with a velocity of -2.0 m/s
Solution:
                    I = pf - pi
                    12 N-s = mvf - mvi  where vi = -2.0 m/s
                    12 N-s = (2.0 kg)vf + 4.0 kg m/s
                    vf = (12 N-s)/(2.0 kg) - 2.0 m/s
                        = (6.0  - 2.0) m/s
                        = 4.0 m/s

d)  Find the average force exerted on the particle for the time interval ti = 0 to tf = 5 s
Solution:
                    I =  FDt
                    F = I/Dt = (12 N-s)/(5 s) = 2.40 N



COLLISIONS: 1-DIMENSIONAL
Problem 1: A solid metal ball of mass 3.0-kg is moving to the right with a speed of 5.0 m/s. It collides with another solid metal ball of mass 6.0-kg that is at rest. Find the final speed of each ball after the collision assuming the collision is elastic.
Solution:
                   INITIAL SITUATION:
                            pi = (3.0 kg)(5.0 m/s) = 15 kg m/s
                            Ki= (1/2)(3.0 kg)(5.0 m/s)2 = 37.5 J
                    AFTER COLLISION:
                            pf= (3.0 kg)v1 + (6.0 kg)v2
                            Kf = (1/2)(3.0 kg)v12 + (1/2)(6.0 kg)v22
                    Assuming the collision is elastic, then both momentum and kinetic energy is conserved.
                            (3.0 kg)v1 + (6.0 kg)v2 = 15 kg m/s
                           v1 = 5 - 2v2
                           (1/2)(3.0 kg)v12 + (1/2)(6.0 kg)v22 = 37.5 J
                            1.50(5 - 2v2)2 + 3.0v22 = 37.5
                            37.5 -30v2 + 6.0v22 + 3.0v22 = 37.5
                            -30v2 + 9.0v22 = 0
                            v2=0    or   v2= 3.33 m/s
                            v1 = 5  or    v1 = -1.66 m/s


Problem 2: A 75 kg ice skater moving at 10 m/s crashes into a stationary skater of equal mass.  After the collision, both skaters move as one with a speed of 5.0 m/s.  The average force a human can endure without breaking a bone is 4500 N.  If the impact time was 0.10 s, what was the force of impact on each skater and did a bone break?
Solution:
                    Looking just at one skater before and after the collision:
                    pi = (75 kg)(10 m/s) = 750 kg m/s
                    pf = (75 kg)(5 m/s) = 375 kg m/s
                    |F| =| Dp/Dt| = 3,750 N is the magnitude of the force on each skater as they collide, it is less than 4500 N therefore there will be NO broken bones.


COLLISIONS: 2-DIMENSIONAL
Problem 1: A 0.30 kg puck, initially at rest on a horizontal frictionless surface is struck by a 0.20 kg puck moving initially along the x- axis with a speed of 2.0 m/s. After the collision, the lighter puck has a speed of 1.0 m/s at an angle of 53.0 with respect to the positive x-axis.
(a) Determine the velocity of the other puck after the collision?
Solution:
                   pix = (0.20 kg)(2.0 m/s) = 0.40 kg m/s
                    piy = 0
                    After collision:
                    pfx= (0.20 kg)(1.0 m/s)(cos 53) + (0.30 kg)(vx)
                         = 0.12 + 0.30 vx
                    pfy= (0.20 kg)(1.0 m/s)(sin 53) + (0.30 kg)(vy)
                         = 0.16 + 0.30 vy
                    Conservation of momentum:
                    pix = pfx
                    0.40 kg m/s = 0.12 + 0.30 vx
                    vx= (0.40 - 0.12)/0.30 = 0.93 m/s
                    piy = pfy
                    0 = 0.16 + 0.30 vy
                    vy= -0.53 m/s
                   v = [(vx)2 + (vy)2]1/2 = 1.07 m/s
                   q = tan-1 (vy /vx ) = -30.0o
(b) Find the fraction of kinetic energy lost in the collision.
Solution:
                    Ki = (1/2)mv2 = (0.5)(0.20 kg)(2.0 m/s)2 = 0.40 J
                    Kf = (1/2)mv12 + (1/2)mv22 = 0.10 J + 0.17 J = 0.27 J
                    Ki - Kf = 0.13
                    Fraction = (0.13)/(0.40) = 0.325 lost.



CENTER OF MASS:
[Problem 1]  A uniform piece of sheet steel is shaped as in the figure.  Compute the x and y coordinates of the center of mass of the piece.
Solution:
                    We break up the sheet into three areas: area 1 (A1)= green, area 2 (A2) =yellow, and area 3 (A3) = blue.  Therefore A = A1+A2 +A3 and the total mass is M = M1+M2 +M3 . Therefore:
                           A1 = (10 cm)(30 cm) = 300 cm2
                           A2 = (20 cm)(10 cm) = 200 cm2
                           A3 = (10 cm)(10 cm) = 100 cm2
                           A   = 600 cm2
                           M1= M(A1/A) = M(300 cm2/600 cm2) = M/2
                           M2= M(A2/A) = M(200 cm2/600 cm2) = M/3
                           M3= M(A3/A) = M(100 cm2/600 cm2) = M/6
                            xcm =(1/M)(x1M1 + x2M2 + x3M3 ) =(1/M)[15 cm(M/2) + 5 cm(M/3) + 15 cm(M/6)]
                                   = 11.7 cm
                            ycm =(1/M)(y1M1 + y2M2 + y3M3 ) =(1/M)[5 cm(M/2) + 20 cm(M/3) + 25 cm(M/6)
                                   = 13.3 cm


Problem 2: The table below lists three masses, their positions, and their velocities.
Mass (kg) Position (m) Velocity (m/s)
M1 = 3.0 R1 = (0.0, 1.0) V1 = (0, 2.5)
M2 = 2.5 R2 = (3.0, 1.0) V2 = (1.5, 0)
M3 = 1.5 R3 = (-1.0, -1.0) V3 = (2.0, -2.5)
a) Calculate the coordinates of the center of mass, Rcm
Solution:
                   Rcm= (3.0 kg)(0.0, 1.0) +(2.5 kg)(3.0, 1.0)+ (1.5 kg)(-1.0, -1.0)
                                                    3.0 kg + 2.5 kg + 1.5 kg
                           = (1/7.0 kg)[(0,3.0) + (7.5, 2.5) + (-1.5, -1.5)] kg-m
                           = (1/7.0)(6.0,4.0)m
                           = (0.86, 0.57) m

b)Calculate the momentum of the center of mass, Pcm
Solution:
                   Pcm=MVcm = (7.0 kg)[(3.0 kg)(0, 2.5) +(2.5 kg)(1.5, 0)+ (1.5 kg)(2.0, -2.5)] m/s
                                                                                            7.0 kg
                           = [(0,7.5)+(3.8,0)+(3.0,-3.8)]kg m/s
                           =(6.8, 3.7) kg m/s



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