Momentum
Impulse
Impulse Changes Momentum
Case 1: Increasing Momentum
Case 2: Decreasing Momentum
Case 3: Decreasing Momentum over a Short Time
Bouncing
Conservation of Momentum
Collisions
More Complicated Collisions
This chapter begins by picking up where Chapter 5 leaves off. Newton Newton Newton ’s 3rd law, or equally, Newton
The increased impulse that occurs for bouncing collisions is treated very briefly and is expanded in the next chapter. Angular momentum is postponed to Chapter 8.
Interesting fact: The time of contact for a tennis ball on a racquet is about 5 milliseconds, whether or not a player “follows through.” The idea that follow-through in tennis, baseball, or golf appreciably increases the duration of contact is not supported by recent studies. Follow-through guides one’s behavior in applying maximum force to supply the impulse.
The swinging ball apparatus shown in the sketch is popular for demonstrating momentum conservation. But any thorough analysis of it ought to be postponed to the next chapter when energy is treated. This is because the question is often raised, “Why cannot two balls be raised and allowed to swing into the array, and one ball emerge with twice the speed?” Be careful. Momentum would indeed be conserved if this were the case. But the case with different numbers of balls emerging never happens. Why? Because energy would not be conserved. For the two-balls-one-ball case, the KE after would be twice as much as the KE before impact. KE is proportional to the square of the speed, and the conservation of both momentum and KE cannot occur unless the numbers of balls for collision and ejection are the same. Consider postponing this demo until the next chapter.
A system is not only isolated in space, but in time also. When we say that momentum is conserved when one pool ball strikes the other, we mean that momentum is conserved during the brief duration of interaction when outside forces can be neglected. After the interaction, friction quite soon brings both balls to a halt. So when we isolate a system for purposes of analysis, we isolate both in space and in time. System identification is developed in Practice Page 22.
You may want to assign an “Egg Drop” experiment. Students design and construct a case to hold an egg that can and will be dropped from a three-or-four story building without breaking. The design cannot include means to increase air resistance, so all cases should strike the ground with about the same speed. By requiring the masses of all cases to be the same, the impulses of all will be the same upon impact. The force of impact, of course, should be minimized by maximizing the time of impact. Or simply have students toss eggs into cloth sheets, suspended so the eggs don’t hit the floor after impact. Either of these projects stir considerable interest, both for your students and others who are not (yet?) taking your class.
There are 2 OHTs for this chapter: Figures 6.5-6.6, and 6.8.
In the Practicing Physics book:
• Changing Momentum
• Systems
Some impulse-momentum problems are in the student supplement, Problem Solving in Conceptual Physics.
In the Next-Time Questions book:
• Car Crash • Ice Sailcraft
• Ball Catch
This chapter is important in its own right, and serves as a foundation for the concept of energy in the next chapter.
SUGGESTED LECTURE PRESENTATION
Momentum: Begin by stating that there is something different between a Mack truck and a roller skate—they each have a different inertia. And that there is still something different about a moving Mack truck and a moving roller skate—they have different momenta. Define and discuss momentum as inertia in motion.
CHECK QUESTION: After stating that a Mack truck will always have more inertia than an ordinary roller skate, ask if a Mack truck will always have more momentum than a roller skate. [Only when mv for the truck is greater than mv for the skate.]
Cite the case of the supertanker shown in Figure 6.1, and why such huge ships normally cut off their power when they are 25 or so kilometers from port. Because of their huge momentum (due mostly to their huge mass), about 25 kilometers of water resistance are needed to bring them to a halt.
Impulse and Momentum: Derive the impulse-momentum relationship. In Chapter 3 you defined acceleration as a = Dv/t (really Dt, but you likely used t as the “time interval”). Then later in Chapter 4 you defined acceleration in terms of the force needed, a = F/m. Now simply equate; a = a, or F/m = Dv/t, with simple rearrangement you have, Ft = Dmv (as in the footnote at the beginning of the chapter).
Then choose your examples in careful sequence: First, those where the object is to increase momentum—pulling a slingshot or arrow in a bow all the way back, the effect of a long cannon for maximum range, driving a golf ball. Second, those examples where small forces are the object when decreasing momentum—pulling your hand backward when catching a ball, driving into a haystack versus a concrete wall, falling on a surface with give versus a rigid surface. Then lastly, those examples where the object is to obtain large forces when deceasing momentum—karate. Karate is more properly called “tae kwon do.”
Point of confusion: In boxing, one “follows-through” whereas in karate one “pulls back.” But this is not so—a karate expert does not pull back upon striking his target. He or she strikes in such a way that the hand is made to bounce back, yielding up to twice the impulse to the target (just as a ball bouncing off a wall delivers nearly twice the impulse to the wall than if it stuck to the wall).
CHECK QUESTION: Why is falling on a wooden floor in a roller rink less dangerous than f22mso-char-type: symbol; mso3F [Superficial answer: Because the wooden floor has more “give.” Emphasize that this is the beginning of a fuller answer—one that is prompted if the question is reworded as follows:] Why is falling on a floor with more give less dangerous than falling on a floor with less give? [Answer: Because the floor with more give allows a greater time for the impulse that reduces the momentum of fall to zero. The greater time occurs because Dmomentum means less force.]
The loose coupling between railroad cars (Exercise 23) makes good lecture topic. Discuss the importance of loose coupling in bringing a long train initially at rest up to speed, and its importance in braking the train as well. (I compare this to taking course load in proper sequence, rather than all at once where for sure one’s wheels would simply spin.)
Conservation of Momentum: Distinguish between external and internal forces and lead into the conservation of momentum. Show from the impulse-momentum equation that no change in momentum can occur in the absence of an external net force.
DEMONSTRATION: Show momentum conservation with an air-track performance. Doing so can be the focus of your lecture presentation.
Defining Your System: Momentum is not conserved in a system that experiences an external net force. This is developed in Practice Page 22, and is carried to momentum conservation on Practice Page 23. The momentum of a system is conserved only when no external impulse is exerted on the system. As the example of the girl jumping from the Earth’s surface in Practice Page 22, momentum is always conserved if you make your system big enough. The momentum of the universe is without change.
The numerical example of lunchtime for the fish in Figure 6.17 should clarify the vector nature of momentum—particularly for the case of the fishes approaching each other. Going over this should be helpful.
Bouncing: Discuss bouncing and how Lester Pelton made a fortune from applying some simple physics to the old paddle wheels.
Bouncing does not necessarily increase impact force. That depends on impact time. Point out that bouncing involves some reversing of momentum, which means greater momentum change, and hence greater impulse. If the greater impulse is over an extended time (bouncing from a circus net), impact force is small. If over a short time (plant pot bouncing from your head), impact force is large. Damage from an object colliding with a person may depend more on energy transfer than on momentum change, so in some cases damage can be greater in an inelastic collision without bouncing.
Consider the demo of swinging the dart against the wooden block to show the effect of bouncing. This is shown by Howie Brand in the photo that opens this chapter. A weak point of this demonstration is the fact that if the dart securely sticks to the block, then the center of gravity of the block is changed to favor nontipping. This weak point is neatly circumvented by the following demo by Rich Langer of Beaumont High School in St. Louis , MO
DEMONSTRATION: Toy dart gun and computer-disc box. Tape some toothpicks to only one side of the box, so a suction-cup dart won’t stick to it. First fire the dart against the smooth side of the box. The dart sticks and the box slides an observed distance across the table. Then repeat, but with the box turned around so the dart sticks to the toothpick side. When the dart hits and doesn’t stick but instead bounces, note the appreciably greater distance the box slides!
Or do as Fred Bucheit does and fashion a pendulum using the “happy-unhappy” rubber balls and let them swing into an upright board. When the less-elastic ball makes impact, with very little bounce, the board remains upright. But when the more-elastic ball makes impact, it undergoes a greater change in momentum as it bounces. This imparts more impulse to the board, and it topples.
Exercises 41-43 may need your elaboration if you wish to go this deep in your lecture. Simply removing the sail, as Exercise 43 suggests, is the option used by propeller-driven aircraft. Consider suddenly producing a sail in the airstream produced by the propeller of an airplane. The result would be a loss of thrust, and if bouncing of the air occurred, there would be a reverse gthrust on the craft. This is precisely what happens in the case of jet planes landing on the runway. Metal “sails” move into place behind the engine in the path of the ejected exhaust, which cause the exhaust to reverse direction. The resulting reverse thrust appreciably slows the aircraft.
Solutions to Chapter 6 Exercises
1. Supertankers are so massive, that even at modest speeds their motional inertia, or momenta, are enormous. This means enormous impulses are needed for changing motion. How can large impulses be produced with modest forces? By applying modest forces over long periods of time. Hence the force of the water resistance over the time it takes to coast 25 kilometers sufficiently reduces the momentum.
2. When you are brought to a halt in a moving car, an impulse, the product of force and time, reduces your momentum. During a collision, padded dashboards increase the time of impact while reducing the force of impact. The impulse equals your change in momentum.
3. Air bags lengthen the time of impact thereby reducing the force of impact.
4. The extra thickness extends the time during which momentum changes and reduces impact force.
5. This illustrates the same point as the previous exercise. The time during which momentum decreases is lengthened, thereby decreasing the jolting force of the rope. Note that in all of these examples, bringing a person to a stop more gently does not reduce the impulse. It only reduces the force.
6. The steel cord will stretch only a little, resulting in a short time of stop and a correspondingly large force. Ouch!
7. Bent knees will allow more time for momentum to decrease, therefore reducing the force of landing.
8. Roughly speaking, you can withstand a certain force of impact without injury. If this force acts for a short time, as when you land on concrete, it provides only a small impulse and therefore you must land with small momentum. If this same force acts for a longer time, as when you land on water, it provides a larger impulse and you can land with larger momentum. So, to experience the same force on different surfaces, you must land with different momenta. If, instead, you landed with the same momentum on different surfaces, it would take the same impulse to stop you and the surface with the least stopping time (concrete) would provide the greatest force, possibly causing injury. So there are three concepts; speed at impact, time of impact, and force of impact—which are all related by the impulse-momentum relationship.
9. Extended hands allow more time for reducing the momentum of the ball to zero, resulting in a smaller force of impact on your hands.
10. Crumpling allows more time for reducing the momentum of the car, resulting in a smaller force of impact on the occupants.
11. The blades impart a downward impulse to the air and produce a downward change in the momentum of the air. The air at the same time exerts an upward impulse on the blades, providing lift. (Newton
12. Its momentum is the same (its weight might change, but not its mass).
13. The impulse required to stop the heavy truck is considerably more than the impulse required to stop a skateboard moving with the same speed. The force required to stop either, however, depends on the time during which it is applied. Stopping the skateboard in a split second results in a certain force. Apply less than this amount of force on the moving truck and given enough time, the truck will come to a halt.
14. Although the impulses may be the same for the two cases, the times of impact are not. When the egg strikes the wall, impact time is short and impact force correspondingly large. The egg breaks. But when the egg strikes the sagging sheet, impact time is long and the force correspondingly small. Doing this makes a nice demonstration of impulse-momentum.
15. The large momentum of the spurting water is met by a recoil that makes the hose difficult to hold, just as a shotgun is difficult to hold when it fires birdshot.
16. No. The gun would recoil with a speed ten times the muzzle velocity. Firing such a gun in the conventional way would not be a good idea!
17. Impulse is force ´ time. The forces are equal and opposite, by Newton
18. The momentum of recoil of the world is 10 kg m/s. Again, this is not apparent because the mass of the Earth is so enormous that its recoil velocity is imperceptible. (If the masses of Earth and person were equal, both would move at equal speeds in opposite directions.)
19. The momentum of the falling apple is transferred to the Earth. Interestingly enough, when the apple is released, the Earth and the apple move toward each other with equal and oppositely directed momenta. Because of the Earth’s enormous mass, its motion is imperceptible. When the apple and Earth hit each other, their momenta are brought to a halt—zero, the same value as before.
20. Impact with a boxing glove extends the time during which momentum of the fist is reduced, and lessens the force. A punch with a bare fist involves less time and therefore more force.
21. The lighter gloves have less padding, and less ability to extend the time of impact, and therefore result in greater forces of impact for a given punch.
22. When a boxer hits his opponent, the opponent contributes to the impulse that changes the momentum of the punch. When punches miss, no impulse is supplied by the opponent—all effort that goes into reducing the momentum of the punches is supplied by the boxer himself. This tires the boxer. This is very evident to a boxer who can punch a heavy bag in the gym for hours and not tire, but who finds by contrast that a few minutes in the ring with an opponent is a tiring experience.
23. Without this slack, a locomotive might simply sit still and spin its wheels. The loose coupling enables a longer time for the entire train to gain momentum, requiring less force of the locomotive wheels against the track. In this way, the overall required impulse is broken into a series of smaller impulses. (This loose coupling can be very important for braking as well.)
24. The internal force of the brake brings the wheel to rest. But the wheel, after all, is attached to the tire which makes contact with the road surface. It is the force of the road on the tires that stops the car.
25. In jumping, you impart the same momentum to both you and the canoe. This means you jump from a canoe that is moving away from the dock, reducing your speed relative to the dock, so you don’t jump as far as you expected to.
26. The swarm will have a net momentum of zero if the swarm stays in the same location; then the momenta of the many insects cancel and there is no net momentum in any given direction.
27. To get to shore, the person may throw keys, coins or an item of clothing. The momentum of what is thrown will be accompanied by the thrower’s oppositely-directed momentum. In this way, one can recoil towards shore. (One can also inhale facing the shore and exhale facing away from the shore.)
28. If no momentum is imparted to the ball, no oppositely directed momentum will be imparted to the thrower. Going through the motions of throwing has no net effect. If at the beginning of the throw you begin recoiling backward, at the end of the throw when you stop the motion of your arm and hold onto the ball, you stop moving too. Your position may change a little, but you end up at rest. No momentum given to the ball means no recoil momentum gained by you.
29. Regarding Exercise 27; If one throws clothing, the force that accelerates the clothes will be paired with an equal and opposite force on the thrower. This force can provide recoil toward shore. Regarding Exercise 28; According to Newton’s third law, whatever forces you exert on the ball, first in one direction, then in the other, are balanced by equal forces that the ball exerts on you. Since the forces on the ball give it no final momentum, the forces it exerts on you also give no final momentum.
30. If the rocket and its exhaust gases are treated as a single system, the forces between rocket and exhaust gases are internal, and momentum in the rocket-gases system is conserved. So any momentum given to the gases is equal and opposite to momentum given to the rocket. A rocket attains momentum by giving momentum to the exhaust gases.
31. When two objects interact, the forces they exert on each other are equal and opposite and these forces act for the same time, so the impulses are equal and opposite. Therefore their changes of momenta are equal and opposite, and the total change of momentum of the two objects is zero.
32. Both recoiling carts have the same amount of momentum. So the cart with twice the mass will have half the speed of the less massive cart. That is, 2m(v/2) = mv.
33. Momentum is not conserved for the ball itself because an impulse is exerted on it (gravitational force ´ time). So the ball gains momentum. It is in the absence of an external force that momentum doesn’t change. If the whole Earth and the rolling ball are taken together as a system, then the gravitational interaction between the Earth and the ball are internal forces and no external impulse acts. Then the momentum of the ball is accompanied by an equal and opposite momentum of the Earth, which results in no change in momentum.
34. An impulse is responsible for the change in momentum, resulting from a component of gravitational force parallel to the inclined plane.
35. A system is any object or collection of objects. Whatever momentum such a system has, in the absence of external forces, that momentum remains unchanged—what the conservation of momentum is about.
36. For the system comprised of only the ball, momentum changes, and is therefore not conserved. But for the larger system of ball + Earth, momentum is conserved for the impulses acting are internal impulses. The momentum of the ball is equal and opposite to the momentum of the recoiling Earth.
37. For the system comprised of ball + Earth, momentum is conserved for the impulses acting are internal impulses. The momentum of the falling apple is equal in magnitude to the momentum of the Earth toward the apple.
38. If the system is the stone only, its momentum certainly changes as it falls. If the system is enlarged to include the stone plus the Earth, then the downward momentum of the stone is cancelled by the equal but opposite momentum of the Earth “racing” up to meet the stone.
39. Let the system be the car and the Earth together. As the car gains downward momentum during its fall, the Earth gains equal upward momentum. When the car crashes and its momentum is reduced to zero, the Earth stops its upward motion, also reducing its momentum to zero.
40. This exercise is similar to the previous one. If we consider Bronco to be the system, then a net force acts and momentum changes. In the system composed of Bronco alone, momentum is not conserved. If, however we consider the system to be Bronco and the world (including the air), then all the forces that act are internal forces and momentum is conserved. Momentum is conserved only in systems not subject to external forces.
The craft moves to the right. This is because there are two impulses that act on the craft: One is that of the wind against the sail, and the other is that of the fan recoiling from the wind it produces. These impulses are oppositely directed, but are they equal in magnitude? No, because of bouncing. The wind bounces from the sail and produces a greater impulse than if it merely stopped. This greater impulse on the sail produces a net impulse in the forward direction, toward the right. We can see this in terms of forces as well. Note in the sketch there are two force pairs to consider: (1) the fan-air force pair, and (2) the air-sail force pair. Because of bouncing, the air-sail pair is greater. Solid vectors show forces exerted on the craft; dashed vectors show forces exerted on the air. The net force on the craft is forward, to the right. The principle described here is applied in thrust reversers used to slow jet planes after they land. Also, you can see that after the fan is turned on, there is a net motion of air to the left, so the boat, to conserve momentum, will move to the right.
42. If the air is brought to a halt by the sail, then the impulse against the sail will be equal and opposite to the impulse on the fan. There will be no net impulse and no change in momentum. The boat will remain motionless. Bouncing counts!
43. Removing the sail and turning the fan around is the best means of propelling the boat! Then maximum impulse is exerted on the craft. If the fan is not turned around, the boat is propelled backward, to the left. (Such propeller-driven boats are used where the water is very shallow, as in the Florida Everglades.)
44. Bullets bouncing from the steel plate experience a greater impulse, and a greater force (providing time is not correspondingly extended). The plate will be moved more by bouncing bullets than by bullets that stick.
45. Yes, because you push upward on the ball you toss, which means the ball pushes downward on you, which is transmitted to the ground. So normal force increases as the ball is thrown (and goes back to equal mg after the ball is released).
46. By Newton
47. In accord with Newton
48. The magnitude of force, impulse, and change in momentum will be the same for each. The Ford Escort undergoes the greater acceleration because its mass is less.
49. Cars brought to a rapid halt experience a change in momentum, and a corresponding impulse. But greater momentum change occurs if the cars bounce, with correspondingly greater impulse and therefore greater damage. Less damage results if the cars stick upon impact than if they bounce apart.
50. The direction of momentum is to the left, for the momentum of the 0.8-kg car is greater.
51. In terms of force: When the sand lands on the cart it is brought up to the cart’s speed. This means a horizontal force provided by the cart acts on the sand. By action-reaction, the sand exerts a force on the cart in the opposite direction—which slows the cart. In terms of momentum conservation: Since no external forces act in the horizontal direction, the momentum after the cart catches sand equals the momentum before. Since mass is added, velocity must decrease.
52. Momentum conservation is being violated. The momentum of the boat before the hero lands on it will be the same as the momentum of boat + hero after. The boat will slow down. If, for example, the masses of the hero and boat were the same, the boat should be slowed to half speed; mvbefore = 2m(v/2)after. From an impulse-momentum point of view, when the hero makes contact with the boat, he is moved along with the boat by a friction force between his feet and the boat surface. The equal and opposite friction force on the boat surface provides the impulse that slows the boat. (Here we consider only horizontal forces and horizontal component of momentum.)
53. We assume the equal strengths of the astronauts means that each throws with the same speed. Since the masses are equal, when the first throws the second, both the first and second move away from each other at equal speeds. Say the thrown astronaut moves to the right with velocity V, and the first recoils with velocity -V. When the third makes the catch, both she and the second move to the right at velocity V/2 (twice the mass moving at half the speed, like the freight cars in Figure 6.14). When the third makes her throw, she recoils at velocity V (the same speed she imparts to the thrown astronaut) which is added to the V/2 she acquired in the catch. So her velocity is V + V/2 = 3V/2, to the right—too fast to stay in the game. Why? Because the velocity of the second astronaut is V/2 - V = -V/2, to the left—too slow to catch up with the first astronaut who is still moving at -V. The game is over. Both the first and the third got to throw the second astronaut only once!
54. Yes, you exert an impulse on a ball that you throw. You also exert an impulse on the ball when you catch it. Since you change its momentum by the same amount in both cases, the impulse you exert in both cases is the same. To catch the ball and then throw it back again at the same speed requires twice as much impulse. On a skateboard, you’d recoil and gain momentum when throwing the ball, you’d also gain the same momentum by catching the ball, and you’d gain twice the momentum if you did both—catch and then throw the ball at its initial speed in the opposite direction.
55. The impulse will be greater if the hand is made to bounce because there is a greater change in the momentum of hand and arm, accompanied by a greater impulse. The force exerted on the bricks is equal and opposite to the force of the bricks on the hand. Fortunately, the hand is resilient and toughened by long practice.
56. Impulse is greater for reflection, which is in effect, bouncing. The vanes therefore recoil more from the silvered sides. The vanes in the sketch therefore rotate clockwise as viewed from above. (This rotation is superseded by a counter rotation when air is present, which is the case for most radiometers. The black surface absorbs radiation and is heated, which warms the nearby air. The surface is pushed away from the warmed air resulting in a recoil that spins the vanes counterclockwise.)
57. Their masses are the same; half speed for the coupled particles means equal masses for the colliding and the target particles. This is like the freight cars of equal mass shown in Figure 6.14.
58. The chunks have equal and opposite momenta, since their total momentum must be zero. The more massive chunk has less speed.
59. If a ball does not hit straight on, then the target ball flies off at an angle (to the left, say) and has a component of momentum sideways to the initial momentum of the moving ball. To offset this, the striking ball cannot be simply brought to rest, but must fly off in the other direction (say, the right). It will do this in such a way that its sideways component of momentum is equal and opposite to that of the target ball. This means the total sideways momentum is zero—what it was before collision. (See how the sideways components of momentum cancel to zero in Figure 6.19.)
60. Agree with the first friend because after the collision the bowling ball will have a greater momentum than the golf ball. Note that before collision the momentum of the system of two balls is all in the moving golf ball. Call this +1 unit. Then after collision the momentum of the rebounding golf ball is nearly –1 unit. The momentum (not the speed!) of the bowling ball will have to be nearly +2 units. Why? Because only then is momentum conserved. Momentum before is +1 unit: momentum after is (+2 – 1) = +1.
Chapter 6 Problem Solutions
1. Ft = ∆mv; F = ∆mv/t = (50 kg)(4 m/s)/3 s = 66.7 N.
2. (a) Ft = ∆mv; F = ∆mv/t = (8 kg)(2 m/s)/0.5 s = 32 N.
(b) 32 N, in accord with Newton
3. From Ft = ∆mv, F = = [(75 kg)(25 m/s)]/0.1 s = 18,750 N.
4. (a) Impulse = ∆mv = (1000 kg)(30 m/s) = 30,000 kg.m/s = 30,000 N.s.
(b) From Ft = ∆mv, F = ∆mv/t; but we don’t know t! Without knowledge of the impact time, we can’t solve for the force of impact. Time of impact depends on the ground surface. Hard and soft grounds produce appreciably different times and forces. We can only estimate a force by first estimating a time of impact.
5. Momentum of the caught ball is (0.15 kg)(40 m/s) = 6.0 kg.m/s.
(a) The impulse to produce this change of momentum has the same magnitude, 6.0 N.s.
(b) From Ft = ∆mv, F = ∆mv/t = [(0.15 kg)(40 m/s)]/0.03 s = 200 N.
6. From the conservation of momentum,
MomentumAtti = momentumJudy + Atti
(15 kg)(3.0 m/s) = (40.0 kg + 15 kg)v
45 kg m/s = (55 kg) v
v = 0.8 m/s
7. The answer is 4 km/h. Let m be the mass of the freight car, and 4m the mass of the diesel engine, and v the speed after both have coupled together. Before collision, the total momentum is due only to the diesel engine, 4m(5 km/h), because the momentum of the freight car is 0. After collision, the combined mass is (4m + m), and combined momentum is (4m + m)v. By the conservation of momentum equation:
Momentumbefore = momentumafter
4m(5 km/h) + 0 = (4m + m)v
v = = 4 km/h
(Note that you don’t have to know m to solve the problem.)
8. Momentumbefore = momentumafter
(5kg)(1m/s) + (1kg)v = 0
5m/s + v = 0
v = -5 m/s
So if the little fish approaches the big fish at 5 m/s, the momentum after lunch will be zero.
9. By momentum conservation,
asteroid mass ´ 800 m/s = Superman’s mass ´v.
Since asteroid’s mass is 1000 times Superman’s,
(1000m)(800 m/s) = mv
v = 800,000 m/s. This is nearly 2 million miles per hour!
10. Momentum conservation can be applied in both cases.
(a) For head-on motion the total momentum is zero, so the wreckage after collision is motionless.
(b) As shown in Figure 6.18, the total momentum is directed to the northeast—the resultant of two perpendicular vectors, each of magnitude 20,000 kg m/s. It has magnitude 28,200 kg.m/s. The speed of the wreckage is this momentum divided by the total mass, v = (28,200 kg.m/s)/(2000 kg) = 14.1 m/s.
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