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CIE IGCSE Physics Your notes
Momentum
Contents
Momentum
Impulse
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Momentum
Your notes
Momentum
Extended tier only
An object with mass that is in motion has momentum
The momentum equation
Momentum is defined by the equation:
momentum = mass × velocity
p = mv
Where:
p = momentum, measured in kilogram metres per second (kg m/s)
m = mass in kilograms (kg)
v = velocity in metres per second (m/s)
This means that an object at rest (i.e. v = 0) has no momentum
Momentum keeps an object moving in the same direction
It is difficult to change the direction of an object that has a large momentum
Velocity is a vector with both magnitude and direction
This means that the momentum of an object also depends on its direction of travel
Therefore, momentum can be either positive or negative
If an object has positive momentum, then an object travelling in the opposite direction will have
negative momentum
How does the momentum of a ball change after a collision?
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Your notes
The momentum of the tennis ball is positive as it approaches the wall and negative after the collision, as
it moves in the opposite direction
Page 3 of 16
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Worked example
Your notes
Determine which object has the most momentum.
Answer:
Step 1: Determine the momentum of the tennis ball using the momentum equation
p = mv
p = 0 . 06 × 75
p = 4 . 5 kg m/s
Step 2: Determine the momentum of the brick using the momentum equation
p = mv
p = 3 × 1.5
p = 4 . 5 kg m/s
Step 3: Compare the momentum of each object
Both the tennis ball and the brick have the same momentum
Even though the brick is much heavier than the ball, the ball is travelling much faster than the brick
This means that on impact, they would both exert a similar force (depending on the time it takes for
each to come to rest)
Page 4 of 16
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Exam Tip
Your notes
You can remember momentum as mass in motion. The units of momentum are kg m/s which is the
product of the units of mass (kg) and velocity (m/s).
Which direction is taken as positive is completely up to you in the exam, as long as you are consistent
throughout a question. In general, the right and upwards are taken as positive, and down or to the left
as negative.
Page 5 of 16
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Conservation of momentum
Extended tier only Your notes
The principle of conservation of momentum states that:
In a closed system, the total momentum before an event is equal to the total momentum after the event
A system, in physics, is an object or group of objects
A closed system means that no energy is transferred into or out of the system and there are no external
forces acting
The principle of conservation of momentum can also be written as:
The total momentum before a collision = The total momentum after a collision
Since momentum is a vector quantity, a system of objects moving in opposite directions (e.g. towards
each other) at the same speed will have an overall momentum of 0 since they will cancel out
Momentum is always conserved over time
The diagram below shows two masses m with velocity u and M at rest (ie. zero velocity)
Principle of conservation of momentum for a collision
The momentum of a system before and after a collision is constant
Before the collision:
Page 6 of 16
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The momentum is only of mass m which is moving
If the right is taken as the positive direction, the total momentum of the system is m × u
After the collision: Your notes
Mass M also now has momentum
The velocity of m is now -v (since it is now travelling to the left) and the velocity of M is V
The total momentum is now the momentum of M + momentum of m
This is (M × V) + (m × -v) or (M × V) – (m × v)
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Worked example
Your notes
The diagram shows a car and a van, just before and just after the car collided with the van, which is
initially at rest.
Use the idea of conservation of momentum to calculate the velocity of the van when it is pushed
forward by the collision.
Answer:
Step 1: State the principle of conservation of momentum
total momentum before = total momentum after
Step 2: Calculate the total momentum before the collision
p = mv
Page 8 of 16
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Momentum of the car
p = 990 × 10
Your notes
p = 9900 kg m/s
Momentum of the van
The van is at rest
Therefore, v = 0 m/s
Therefore, p = 0 kg m/s
Total momentum before collision
p
before
= 9900 + 0 = 9900 kg m/s
Step 3: Calculate the total momentum after the collision
Momentum of the car
p = 990 × 2
p = 1980 kg m/s
Momentum of the van
p = 4200 × v
Total momentum after collision
p after = 1980 + 4200v
Step 4: Rearrange the conservation of momentum equation to solve for v
p before = p after
9900 = 1980 + 4200v
9900 − 1980 = 4200v
9900 − 1980
v=
4200
v = 1 . 9 m/s
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Exam Tip
Your notes
If it is not given in the question already, drawing a diagram of before and after helps keep track of all
the masses and velocities (and directions) in the conversation of momentum questions.
Page 10 of 16
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Impulse
Your notes
Impulse
Extended tier only
When an external resultant force acts on an object for a very short time and changes the object's
motion, we call this impulse
For example:
Kicking a ball
Catching a ball
A collision between two objects
The impulse equation
Impulse is the product of the force applied and the time for which it acts
impulse = F ∆ t
Where:
F = resultant force, measured in newtons (N)
∆ t = change in time, measured in seconds (s)
Therefore, the units of impulse are newton seconds (Ns)
The impulse of the resultant force is equal to the change in momentum of the object
impulse = F ∆ t = ∆ p
Change in momentum can also be described as:
∆ p = ∆ ( mv )
∆ p = mv − mu
Where:
∆ p = change in momentum, measured in kilogram metres per second (kg m/s)
m = mass, measured in kilograms (kg)
v = final velocity, measured in metres per second (m/s)
u = initial velocity, measured in metres per second (m/s)
Therefore:
impulse = F ∆ t = ∆ p = mv − mu
Examples of impulse
Page 11 of 16
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When rain and hail (frozen water droplets) hit an umbrella, they feel very different due to the impulse of
the force
Water droplets tend to splatter and roll off the umbrella because there is only a very small change Your notes
in momentum
Hailstones have a larger mass and tend to bounce back off the umbrella, because there is
a greater change in momentum
Therefore, the impulse that the umbrella applies on the hail stones is greater than the impulse the
umbrella applies on the raindrops
This means that more force is required to hold an umbrella upright in hail compared to rain
The impulse exerted by the umbrella on the hail stones is greater than the impulse exerted on the
raindrops.
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Worked example
Your notes
A 58 g tennis ball moving horizontally to the left at a speed of 30 m s–1 is struck by a tennis racket which
returns the ball back to the right at 20 m s–1.
(i) Calculate the impulse of the force exerted by the racket on the ball
(ii) State which direction the impulse is in
Answer:
Part (i)
Step 1: Write the known quantities
Taking the initial direction of the ball as positive (the left)
Initial velocity, u = 30 m/s
Final velocity, v = − 20 m/s
Mass, m = 58 g = 58 × 10−3 kg
Step 2: Write down the impulse equation
impulse = F ∆ t = ∆ p = mv − mu
Step 3: Substitute in the values
impulse = m (v − u )
impulse = 58 × 10−3 (−20 − 30)
impulse = − 2 . 9 N s
Part (ii)
State the direction of the impulse
Since the impulse is negative, it must be in the opposite direction to which the tennis ball was
initially travelling
Therefore, the direction of the impulse is to the right
Page 13 of 16
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Exam Tip
Your notes
Remember that if an object changes direction, then this must be reflected by the change in sign of the
velocity. For example, if the left is taken as positive and therefore the right as negative, an impulse of
20 N s to the right is equal to -20 N s
Page 14 of 16
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Force & momentum
Extended tier only Your notes
Newton's second law is defined by the equation:
F= ma
Momentum is given by the equation:
p = mv
Combining these equations gives Newton's second law in terms of momentum:
∆p
F=
∆t
Therefore, force can also be defined as the rate of change of momentum on a body
Or the change in momentum per unit time
Page 15 of 16
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Worked example
Your notes
A tennis ball hits a racket twice, with a change in momentum of 0.5 kg m/s both times.
During the first hit, the contact time is 2 s and during the second hit, the contact time is 0.1 s
Determine which tennis racket experiences the greatest force from the tennis ball.
Answer:
Step 1: Calculate the force during the first hit
∆p
F=
∆t
0.5
F=
2
F = 0 . 25 N
Step 2: Calculate the force during the second hit
∆p
F=
∆t
0.5
F=
0.1
F = 5.0 N
Step 3: State your answer
The tennis racket experiences the greatest force from the ball during the second hit
Page 16 of 16
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