Module 10 Force and Motion
Module 10 Force and Motion
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How to learn from this module
Here’s a simple guide for you in going about the module:
2. If you were in a space ship and fired a cannon ball into frictionless space, the amount of
force needed to keep it going would be ________.
A. twice the force with which it was fired
B. the same amount of force with which it was fired
C. one half the force with which it was fired
D. zero, since no force is necessary to keep it moving
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4. The force required to maintain an object at a constant speed in free space is equal to
________________.
A. zero C. the weight of the object
B. the mass of the object D. the force required to stop it
5. You would have the largest mass of gold if your chunk of gold weighed 1 N on the
__________.
A. Moon C. planet Jupiter
B. Earth
6. An object weighs 30 N on earth. A second object weighs 30 N on the moon. Which has
greater mass?
A. The one on earth C. They have the same mass
B. The one on the moon
7. Suppose the force of friction on a sliding object is 10N. The force needed for it to
maintain a constant velocity is _______________.
A. more than 10 N C. 10N
B. less than 10 N
8. Compared to its weight on earth, a 10-kg object on the moon will weigh ________.
A. less C. the same amount
B. more
9. An apple weighs 1N. When held at rest above your head, the net force on the apple is
_____________.
A. 0N C. 1N
B. 0.1 N D. 9.8 N
10. An apple weighs 1N. The net force on the apple when it is in free fall is _________.
A. 0N C. 1N
B. 0.1 N D. 9.8 N
11. When a woman stands with two feet on a scale, the scale reads 500 N. When she lifts
one foot, the scale reads _____________.
A. less than 500 N C. 500 N
B. more than 500 N
12. A block is dragged without acceleration in a straight-line path across a level surface by a
force of 6 N. What is the frictional force between the block and the surface?
A. less than 6 N C. more than 6 N
B. 6 N D. Needs more information to say.
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13. As a 500 N lady sits on the floor, the floor exerts a force on her equal to
______________.
A. 1000 N C. 250 N
B. 500 N D. 50N
14. An unfortunate bug splatters against the windshield of a moving car. Compared to the
force of the car on the bug, the force of the bug on the car is _____________.
A. larger C. the same
B. smaller
15. An unfortunate bug splatters against the windshield of a moving car. Compared to
the deceleration of the car on the bug, the deceleration of the bug on the car is
_____________.
C. the same
16. The person is attracted towards the center of the earth by a 500-N gravitational force.
The force with which the earth is attracted toward the person is ______________.
A. very very small C. 500 N
B. very very large
17. Two people pull on a rope in a tug-of-war. Each pulls with a 400 N force. What is
the tension in the rope?
A. 0 C. 600 N
B. 400 N D. 800 N
18. What is the minimum resultant possible when adding a 3-N force to an 8-N force?
A. 24 N C. 8N
B. 11 N D. 5N
19. How does the acceleration of an object change in relation to its mass? It is
_________.
A. directly proportional
B. inversely proportional
C. acceleration doesn’t depend on mass at all
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Lesson 1 Forces: The Secrets Unfold!
(by mpem)
In the beginning there was Aristotle Did you know how the word “force”
And the objects at rest tend to remain has come about? Who were the scientists
at rest and great men behind the concept? Here’s
And the objects in motion tend to come a very good poem. Try reading it so you
to rest would have a good glimpse of who were
behind the development of forces and
And God saw that it was boring although
motion!
restful
Procedure:
1. The pictures, dialogues and dates on the next page show significant moments in
the development of the concepts of force and motion.
2. Label the picture, dialogue, and date with 1 if you think the set of picture,
dialogue and date occurred first. Label the next set as 2 and so on until all sets
are labeled forming a timeline.
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Johannas
No. _____ Philoponus Hey guys look at this. If I
(550 A.D.) exert an impetus on an All right! And when that
object moves. Ha! A new impetus diminishes, motion
also diminishes. When the
discovery indeed!
impetus is removed, the
Impetus keeps a body
No. _____ moving. object stops moving!
No. _____ No. _____
Aristotle
No. _____
What if I push an object which is already moving
horizontally?
Wouldn’t its velocity change and cause acceleration in the
Galileo object? Thus, force would cause acceleration in horizontal
motion. The natural acceleration actually observed in vertical
motion must be the result of a vertical force on the body,
No. _____ Jean without this force the natural vertical motion would also be
Buriden at a constant speed, just like natural horizontal motion. This
(355 vertical force is of course the force of gravity.
A.D.) No. _____
Terms to Remember! So, now you know who coined the word “force”.
Mass Let’s now take a close look at what force is. Force is
Amount of matter in an commonly described as a push or a pull. A body with mass
object. is capable of interacting with another body. This interaction
Bodies in direct contact between two (2) bodies is known to be a force.
Two bodies touching on
another Force is not something a body has, like mass, but it
is an interaction between one body and another.
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Depending on the circumstances, a body may posses a capability of exerting force on
another body but it cannot possess force as a thing in itself.
Forces can be contact or non-contact. Contact forces are forces that result when two
(2) bodies in direct contact (touching each other) interact with one another. Direct contact
must happen between two (2) bodies for the two (2) bodies to interact with each other.
Now try this one so you will have a better understanding of what contact force is!
Procedure:
1. Push a chair.
2. Pull a paper out of your bag.
3. Lift your bag.
Guide Questions:
1. In which of the following cases were you able to have a direct contact with each of
the three objects (chair, paper, bag)?
2. Were you able to exert a contact force? Why do you say so?
In all these cases, contact forces occur. To be able to push a chair your hand should
be placed in contact with the chair. To be able to pull a paper out of your bag you must use
your hand, and your hand must be touching the paper. To lift your bag, you must hold the
bag.
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Terms to Remember! Non-contact forces, on the other hand, are forces that
Field occur when the fields around objects (e.g. gravitational field,
Space surroundingelectric field, or magnetic field) interact with another field
objects with mass or located around another body. It is a non-contact force since
objects which are the bodies themselves are not directly touching each other
electrically charged rather only their fields interact with one another.
or have magnetic
properties
We may see the earth
as constantly kept in orbit by the sun. But behind that
scene we can actually attribute this effect to the
gravitational fields of both the earth and the sun as
interacting with each other. Thus, gravitational forces
are examples of non-contact forces. Gravitational
forces are always attractive in nature. This means that
while the earth is attracted to the sun, earth also pulls
the sun. However, since earth has a smaller mass than
the sun, the earth tends to move around the sun instead Fig. 1.1. Earth-Sun
of the other way around.
System
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bodies. Around every charged object is an electric field, which interacts with the electric field
of another charged body. The interaction between the electric field of one charged body to
another charged body is known as electrostatic force. Since only electric fields of two
charged bodies interact and no direct contact can be observed between the two bodies,
then electrostatic force is also considered a non-contact force. Take a look at how charges
interact in Figure 1.3.
1 lb = 4.45 N
1N = 0.225 lb Fig. 1.5 Newton
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What you will do
Self-Test 1.1
Direction: Write “F” if a contact force has been exerted in the situation and “nF” if a
non-contact force has been exerted.
1. Pushing a cart
2. Touching a rock
3. Falling rock
4. Moon’s attraction to Earth causing tides
5. Your hair being attracted to your comb after stroking it with the same comb.
6. Tissue being attracted to a plastic sheet
7. Kicking a ball
8. Sitting on a chair
9. Your skin hair being attracted to the TV screen when you switch it on or off.
10. Pulling a cart.
Lesson 2 Friction
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What you will do
Activity 1.2 Friction: The opposing force!
Procedure:
1. Let a ball roll on a pavement or a clear path way.
2. Observe what happens to the ball as it rolls along the pavement.
Guide Questions:
1. When you rolled the ball on the pavement, did you exert a force?
2. What kind of force did you exert? (contact or non-contact)
3. While the ball is rolling along the pavement are you still exerting a force?
4. What happened to the ball’s motion after some time?
5. Why do you think the ball stopped rolling?
When you roll the ball on the pavement you did exert a contact force since your
hands were in contact with the ball before you released the ball. While on the pavement,
however, your hands were not anymore in contact with the ball thus there is no force was
exerted by your hands on the ball. Eventually, the ball stopped rolling after sometime.
Friction between the surface of the ball and the surface of the pavement caused the ball
to stop rolling. Friction is a force that opposes motion. It is the resistance an object meets
when its surface rubs against another surface like your feet and the floor when you’re
walking. It acts in a direction opposite the natural motion of the moving object.
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The nature of friction force depends on the type of motion that occurs between two
surfaces. If there is no relative motion between two surfaces, friction force that exists
between their contact surfaces is called static friction. On the other hand, the type of
friction that opposes sliding motion is called kinetic friction. This type is weaker than static
friction. The friction force that exists in rolling motion is called rolling friction. This is the
weakest frictional force that opposes motion.
Objective: To be able to determine how the kind of surface and the weight of an object
affect friction.
Materials: plastic bag, 4 books, smooth floor (wooden) and a rough floor (concrete)
Procedure:
Guide Questions:
1. On which situation (plastic with 2 books or plastic with 4 books) did you experience
difficulty in dragging the plastic bag?
2. On which case is friction greater: plastic with 2 books and the floor or plastic with 4
books and the floor)?
3. On which situation (plastic bag on a smooth floor or plastic bag on a rough floor)
did you experience difficulty in dragging the plastic bag?
4. On which case is friction greater: plastic bag on a smooth floor or plastic bag on a
rough floor?
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Basically, friction is less when the weight of the object is less. Friction is also affected
by the smoothness or roughness of the surfaces in contact. Rougher surfaces in contact
usually offer greater frictional force as compared with smooth surfaces. Sliding or rolling on
smooth surfaces is very easy because friction is less. Sliding and rolling on rough surfaces
is hard because there is more friction on them.
What happens when you try to start running on a wet pavement? It is difficult to stop
or start moving when little friction is around. But have you tried pushing a car or a tricycle in
which the brakes are set? Too much friction can also be a problem.
There are cases when we do not need friction like when we want to move heavy
objects from one room to another. How do we decrease friction?
Streamlining
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Racing cars, airplanes, submarines, rockets, racing boats, and motorcycles are
designed specially to reduce friction with the air or with the water. They are specially
shaped or streamlined to move more easily in water or in air. Submarines are shaped
like fishes to let move easily in water. Airplanes are streamlined like birds so they could
glide through air better.
Oiling or lubricating
Why do we usually put oil and lubricant in machines and engines? Why do
lubricants and oil reduce friction? The oil we place in machines and car engines reduces
the friction between the moving parts. The oil serves as a protective layer that prevents
the moving parts from rubbing against each other. The lubricants like cream fill the
grooves and bumps of the two surfaces in contact preventing the two surfaces to come
in direct contact with each other. Thus, there will be less catching and sticking together
of the points of the two surfaces that result to lesser friction.
Using Bearings
Friction is a kind of force that acts between surfaces of materials that are moving past
each other. They occur because of the irregularities in the surfaces of sliding objects.
Galileo showed during his time that a force is needed to keep an object in motion.
Otherwise, objects need no force to continue its state of motion.
Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
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a. Friction is never a total advantage
b. Friction can never be eliminated
c. Both a and b
Let’s have a close look at our three scientists: Aristotle, Galileo and Newton and
see their contributions to forces and motion. Below are news bits about them.
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Bulletin:
Yesterday, Yesterday
for Today
Aristotle: A Scientist?
Aristotle was born in 384 BC in Stagira, a Greek town of the Aegean coast. His
father was a physician who looked after the King of Macedonia. As a child Aristotle
lived with his uncle. When he was a teenager (17) he moved south to Athens, a very
important city in the Greek world. He probably went alone. For some twenty (20)
years Aristotle studied at the famous Academy in Athens. The principal teacher at the
Academy was Plato, a Greek teacher of great reputation. Plato was interested in logical
arguments.
In Middle Age, Aristotle turned his attention to writing books that would form
an encyclopedia of knowledge. By 335 BC Aristotle has returned to Athens and has
established the Peripatetic School in the Lyceum. In the course of his teaching at the
Lyceum, he discussed logic, epistemology, physics, biology, ethics, politics, and
aesthetics. The Posterior Analytics is Aristotle’s principal work on the philosophy of
science. In addition, the Physics and Metaphysics which contains some aspects of
scientific method. His work, the Physics contains the first principles which includes:
Due to political unrest in 323 BC he had to leave the city and move north to the
island of Euboea. He died there one year later at the age of 62.
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What you will do
Activity 3.1 Find out about Galileo
Below are clues about Galileo. You may use all the clues to be able to
complete the data needed for his biography.
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CLUES
Vincenzo Galilei who was then a musician and a mathematician sent his
3. son to University of Pisa to pursue medical studies. This is because
physicians then receive salaries 30X that of mathematicians.
As a student, Galileo had a brilliant wit and he could not resist making bitter
enemies due to his argumentativeness and nonconformity. He even refused
4. to wear academic robe which cost him several fines. Because of such "the
wrangler" was his pseudonym in school.
While Galileo was at the University of Pisa, he heard lectures on geometry
5. by accident and came upon the works of Archimedes and later pursued
mathematics and sciences.
Galileo performed an experiment on the inclined plane to prove that the rate
of fall of an object is independent of its weight. The velocity of a falling ball
6. increases steadily with time under the continuous pull of earth, but the total
distance covered increases as the square of the time.
"As the explosion of a gun", a body could move under the influence of 2
forces at one time. One force applying an initial force horizontal could keep
7. a body moving horizontally at a constant velocity. Another force applied
constantly in a vertical direction could make the same body drop downward
at an accelerated velocity.
Galileo said in his published books entitled “Mechanics” that if a structure
8.
increased in all dimensions equally, it would grow weaker.
The volume, he said further, increases as the cube of linear dimension by
9.
the strength only as the square.
A deer expanded to the size of an elephant and kept in exact proportion
10.
would collapse. Its legs would have to be thickened out of proportion.
During 1500-1600 Harvard believed in all theories held by Aristotle and
11. Ptolemy.
12. Ptolemaic system: Earth is the center of the universe.
13. Galileo was greatly opposed by the church.
In his book, “Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, the characters
14. were (1) a man holding the Copernican view, (2) a man holding the
Ptolemaic view, and a spectator who is presented as a fool!
Galileo was recanted and was condemned to a penance of psalm recitation
15. each week for 3 years. Before having completed his renunciation he said
”Eppur si muove” (And yet it moves!)
He died in Arceti on January 8, 1642 while dictating his idea on the result of
16. a moving body striking an immovable one. The church refused to bury him
in consecrated ground.
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And so you have met Galileo and Aristotle. Now, here’s Newton.
Law of Inertia
Everybody preserves
in its state of rest, or
uniform motion in a
right line, unless it is
compelled to change
forces impressed
Going back to our previous question, “How would Aristotle explain the
observation that a rolling ball eventually slows down until it stops?” Aristotle would likely
say that the ball comes to a stop because it seeks its proper state – rest. . How about
the interpretations of Galileo and Newton? Galileo would likely say that once the ball is
in motion, what prevents its continued motion is another force, called friction, between
the table and the ball. How would you interpret it yourself? Of course! Only you can
answer that!
In 1665, however, a new set of ideas has been established by the famous Sir
Isaac Newton who has made great revolution in the growth of Science primarily in
st
Physics with his famous Laws of Motion. His three (3) Laws of Motion include the 1
law of motion more popularly known as the Law of Inertia. In his original manuscript it
was stated as:
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What you will do
Activity 3.2 Going nuts!
Objective
To explore the concept of inertia.
Materials: 12-in wooden embroidery hoop, coke bottle (sakto), ten – ¼ -in nuts
Procedure
Guide Questions:
1. Describe the technique that you used in order to have the highest number of
nuts inside the bottle.
2. Relate your observation to the concept of inertia.
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Objects “tend to keep on doing what they are already doing.” In fact, it is the natural
tendency of objects to resist changes in their state of motion. This tendency to resist
changes in their state of motion is described as inertia. Thus, inertia is the resistance
an object has to any changes in its state of motion. But how would we know how big
inertia is?
Have you ever tried kicking an empty tin can? Compare it when you kick a tin
can full of cement. Which tin can doesn’t move as much? Definitely, the solid tin can
(the one with cement). This is because the solid tin can is more inert and has more
mass than an empty tin can. This means that the greater the mass the object has, the
more inert the object is and thus, the greater is its inertia. A measure of inertia – MASS!
Most people believe that if an object has a large mass, it must have a large
volume. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. It is a constant for every object and
is usually expressed in kilograms. Volume, on the other hand, is the measure of the
space occupied by the object. It is expressed in units such as cubic meter or liter. A
kilogram of cotton in a pillow obviously has more volume than a kilogram of nail
although they have the same mass.
Place a ball along the corridor. Push the ball lightly. While the ball is still moving along
the corridor, ask someone to push it again. Observe what happens to the ball’s speed.
What happened to the ball’s motion or speed right after the second push? In this
case the ball moved faster. Thus, the speed of the ball has changed. In other words,
the ball has accelerated. In symbols;
∆ ν
a= ∆ t
Law of Acceleration
The acceleration of
When you pushed the ball, which was initially at
motion is ever
rest and then the ball moved. Thus, the ball accelerated
proportional to the
during that instance. Your friend pushed the moving ball
motive force and is
and the object changed its speed – accelerates. Forces
made in the direction
are what produce acceleration. When your hands are no
of the right line in
longer in contact with the ball, the ball experiences no which that force is
impressed..
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force, thus it moves with a constant velocity. This is the second law of motion according
to Newton. He realized that the acceleration produced when something is moved
depends not only on how hard the exerted force is but also on the mass of the object.
The greater the force applied on the object the greater is its change in motion or
acceleration if the mass of the object is unchanged. However, as we increase the mass
of the object, the acceleration decreases if the force applied to the object is unchanged.
More often than not, the force applied is not a single force. Other forces may act
as well. The combination of all the forces that act on an object is called the net force.
The presence of an unbalanced force, usually called the net force, creates an
acceleration of an object. In other words,
F
a = mnet
where:
Here’s an example:
Solution:
Given:
m = 1000 kg
Fnet = 3000 N
RTF: a?
F
net
Equation: a=
m
a = 3000N
1000k
g
m
3000kg 2
s
a=
1000kg
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m
a=3s 2
2
If a crate accelerates at 2.5 m/s and if the net force exerted is about 500
N, what is the mass of the crate?
What is your weight? What about your mass? Many are usually confused
between mass and weight. We usually say something has a lot of matter if it is heavy.
Mass is a measure of the actual material in a body and is expressed in units like
kilogram or gram. It also depends on the number and kinds of atoms that compose it.
Weight, on the other hand, is a measure of the gravitational force that acts on the
material and is dependent on the location of the material relative to the center of the
earth. On higher grounds you encounter lesser weight. It is computed as the product of
your mass or the mass of the body and the acceleration due to gravity. In symbols;
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Did you know that you could not touch without being touched and that we
always get even?
The third law of motion also known as the Law of Interaction is stated as:
“Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an
equal force on the first.”
One of the pair of forces is called the “action” force. The other is called the
“reaction” force. It is important to note that for every interaction, force always occur in
pairs.
The action force in a falling stone is the pull of the earth on the stone. The
reaction to this force is the pull of the stone on the earth. Interestingly enough, the pull
of the earth on the stone is the same in magnitude to the pull of the stone on earth. But
obviously, the earth will never move towards the stone.
Identify the action and reaction forces while launching a rocket ship.
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What you will do
Self-Test 3.3
Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
2. If you were in a spaceship and fired a cannonball into frictionless space, the
amount of force needed to keep it moving would be ___________.
a. twice the force with which it was fired
b. the same amount of force with which it was fired
c. one half the force with which it was fired
d. zero, since no force is necessary to keep it moving
4. You would have the largest mass of gold if your chunk of gold weighed 1 N on
the ________.
a. moon
b. earth
c. Jupiter
5. Suppose a cart is being moved by a force. If suddenly a load is dumped into the
cart so that the cart’s mass doubles, what happens to the cart’s acceleration?
a. It quadruples.
b. It doubles.
c. It halves.
d. It quarters.
6. A tennis ball and a solid steel ball of the same size are dropped at the
same time. Which ball has the greater weight?
a. tennis ball
b. solid steel ball
c. They both have the same weight.
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7. An apple weighs 1N. When held at rest above your head, the net force on
the apple is __________.
a. 0 N
b. 0.1 N
c. 1 N
d. 9.8 N
8. An apple weighs 1 N. The net force on the apple when it is in freefall is _______.
a. 0 N
b. 0.1 N
c. 1 N
d. 9.8 N
A truck, for example has momentum. Since the truck has mass, m and velocity,
v then the momentum of the truck is p. In short p = m x v. A moving bicycle, on the
other hand, has mass, m and velocity, v equals the velocity of the truck. Thus the
momentum of the bicylcle is p. In short; p = m x v. In the case of the car and a
skateboard, the car has greater momentum because it is much more massive than the
skateboard. On the other hand, a truck parked on the side of the road has no
momentum at all. How would you make the momentum of the truck equal to the
momentum of the bicycle initially moving at the same speed?
If we make the
skateboard move
v
very fast, then its
veloctiy
increase. In turn,
the magnitude
its momentum will
will
of
p = mx
increase and will
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equal the momentum of the truck. Therefore, an object can have large momentum if its
velocity is increased.
p=mxv
Example 1
a) Calculate the momentum of a 30-kg dog running at a speed of 8.0 m/s toward the
west. (b) How fast must a 70-kg person run to have the same momentum as the dog?
Solution:
1.
Given RTF
mdog = 30 kg V
v = 8.0 m/s
mman = 70 kg
2. Equation: p = mv
3. Solution:
p = mv
pdog = pman
mdogvdog = mmanvman
m v
dog
vman =
m
man
(30kg)(8.0m / s)
vman =
70kg
vman = 3.43 m/s
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This acceleration is produced by an applied force. Hence, whenever a force is applied
on an object, the momentum of the object changes.
Time of contact or how long the force acts is also a significant factor. Apply a
force briefly to an automobile and it produces a small change in momentum. Apply the
same force for a longer time and a big change in momentum happens. A long-
sustained force produces large change in momentum. Thus, for the momentum of the
object to change, we consider both the applied force and the time of contact.
I = ∆p
where:
I = impulse
∆p = change in momentum
since I = Ft
where:
F = applied force T
= time of contact
= mν
thus: Ft = m∆ν
Therefore, the application of force over a certain period of time changes the
momentum of the body. In other words;
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What you will do
Activity 4.1 Impulse and Momentum
Objectives
1. To find the relationship between impulse and change in momentum.
2. To determine how impact force works with the time of impact if the change in
momentum is constant.
Materials
2 balls of different masses, 1 raw egg, 1 piece of used fishing net, inclined plane,
Procedure
A.
o
1. Let your friend roll the ball on an inclined plane placed about 30 from
the horizontal. Stop the ball at the lower end of the inclined plane.
2. Repeat procedure 1 using the other ball released from the same position.
Be sure that its velocity is the same as that of the first ball just before it is
stopped.
B.
1. Ask a friend to throw the ball twice towards you.
2. The first catch should be done without moving your hands backwards. For
the second throw move your hands backwards. (Note: Be sure that you
use the same ball and that the force exerted by your classmate in throwing
the ball is the same.)
C.
1. Throw a ball horizontally against the concrete wall.
2. Mark the point where the ball first strikes the ground after hitting the wall.
3. From the same position, repeat procedure 1 with greater force.
4. Repeat procedure 2.
D.
1. Using a fishing net, try to catch a raw egg positioned from a height of about
3 meters.
2. Observe what happens.
Guide Questions
A.
1. Which ball is harder to stop? Why?
2. What can you do to make the less massive ball harder to stop than the other
ball?
3. What factors affect the ease or difficulty in stopping objects in motion?
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4. Answer Q.1 in terms of momentum.
B.
1. In which catch do you feel greater stopping force?
2. Compare the amount of the first with the second impact force.
3. In which catch did you notice a stopping force of greater period of time?
4. What relationship exists between impact force and duration of time?
C.
1. In which throw did the ball land farther from the wall?
2. What does longer distance traveled from the wall indicate about the velocity
of the ball after impact with the wall?
st nd
3. Compare the momentum of the 1 and 2 throw of the ball after it leaves
the wall?
4. In which instance is the impact force greater?
Increasing Momentum
The forces involved in impulses are usually not uniform, they vary from instant to
instant. A bat, for example, that strikes a Fig. 4.5. Batter baseball exerts no force
until it comes in contact with the baseball. Then the force increases rapidly as the bat
and the baseball are
distorted.
If you were to catch a raw egg with your bare hands while playing egg catch and
throw, how would you do it without breaking the egg? Playing catch and throw is very
familiar to us. Usually we move our hands backward when the object thrown at us
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starts touching our hands. Try moving your hands forward and you will end up washing
off the egg yolk from your hands. In these cases momentum is decreased by the same
impulse. The only difference is how long the egg touches the hand. The longer the time
of contact, the lesser the force applied; and the shorter the time of contact, the greater
force is applied.
Ft = Impulse
Ft = Impulse
For this reason, why seatbelts and air bags are used as safety devices in a
vehicle. They make the time of contact between you and the dashboard of the car
longer, which lessens the force of impact.
Conservation of Momentum
Consider a rifle being fired. The force that pushes on the bullet when it is inside
the rifle is equal and opposite to the force that makes the rifle recoil. These forces are
internal to the “system” comprising the rifle and the bullet, so they don’t change the
momentum of the system. The momentum of the rifle, which is at rest, is zero (0) before
firing. Since momentum is a vector quantity, after firing, the momentum of the rifle
cancels the momentum of the bullet. No external force act on the system before and
after firing. This means that no impulse is present to change the momentum of the
system. Momentum is said to be conserved.
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The Law of Conservation of Momentum:
1. A bug and a windshield of a fast-moving car collided. Tell whether the following
statements are true or false.
a. The forces of impact on the bug and on the car are the same. __________
b. The impulses on the bug and on the car are the same. ____________
c. The changes in speed of the car and of the bug are the same. ____________
d. The changes in momentum of the bug and of the car are the same.
___________
2. When you ride a bicycle at full speed, which has the greater momentum – you or
the bike?
3. You cannot throw an egg against a wall without breaking it, but you can throw it
with the same speed into a sagging sheet without breaking it. Why?
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Let’s summarize
Posttest
Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
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car, pushing the truck is speeding up to get up to cruising speed:
a. the amount of force with which the car pushes on the truck is equal to that with
which the truck pushes back on the car.
b. the amount of force with which the car pushes on the truck is smaller than
that with which the truck pushes back on the car
c. the amount of force with which the car pushes on the truck is greater than that
with which the truck pushes back on the car.
d. the car's engine is running so the car pushes against the truck, but the truck's
engine is not running so the truck cannot push back against the car. The truck is
pushed forward simply because it is in the way of the car.
e. neither the car nor the truck exert any force on the other. The truck is
pushed forward simply because it is in the way of the car.
2. A large truck breaks down on the road and receives a push back into town by a
small compact car as shown in the figure. After the car reaches the constant
cruising speed at which its driver wishes to push the truck:
a. the amount of force with
which the car pushes on the
truck is equal to that with
which the truck pushes back
on the car.
b. the amount of force with
which the car pushes on the truck is smaller than that with which the truck
pushes back on the car.
c. the amount of force with which the car pushes on the truck is greater than that
with which the truck pushes back on the car.
d. the car's engine is running so the car pushes against the truck, but the truck's
engine is not running so the truck cannot push back against the car. The truck is
pushed forward simply because it is in the way of the car.
e. neither the car nor the truck exerts any force on the other. The truck is pushed
forward simply because it is in the way of the car.
3. Student "a" has a mass of 95 kg and student "b" has a mass of 77 kg. They sit in
identical office chairs facing each other. Student "a" places his bare feet on the
knees of student "b", as shown. Student "a" then
suddenly pushes outward with his feet, causing
both chairs to move. During the push and while the
students are still touching one another:
a. neither student exerts a force on the other.
b. student "a" exerts a force on student "b", but "b"
does not exert any force on "a".
c. each student exerts a force on the other, but "b"
exerts the larger force.
d. each student exerts a force on the other, but
"a" exerts the larger force.
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e. each student exerts the same amount of force on the other.
4. As a 500 N lady sits on the floor, the floor exerts a force on her equal
to______________.
a. 1000 N
b. 500 N
c. 250 N
d. 50 N
7. The force required to maintain an object at a constant speed in free space is equal
to ________________.
a. zero c. the weight of the object
b. the mass of the object d. the force required to stop it
8. You would have the largest mass of gold if your chunk of gold weighed 1 N on the
__________.
a. Moon c. planet Jupiter
b. earth
9. An object weighs 30 N on earth. A second object weighs 30 N on the moon. Which has
greater mass?
a. The one on earth
b. The one on the moon
c. They have the same mass
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11. A rifle with a muzzle velocity of 100 m/s is fired horizontally from a tower. Neglecting
air resistance, where will the bullet be 1 second later?
a. 50 m range
b. 98 m range
c. 100 m range
d. 490 m range
13. A Ping-pong gun is fired. Compared to the force on the ball, the force on the gun is
_____________.
a. larger
b. smaller
c. the same
14. A Ping-pong gun is fired. Compared to the impulse on the ball, the impulse on the gun is
______________.
a. larger
b. smaller
c. the same
15. Suppose a gun is made of a strong but very light materials. Suppose also that the bullet
is more massive than the gun itself. For such a weapon ________________.
a. the target would be a safer place than where the shooter is located
b. recoil problems would be lessened
c. conservation of energy would not hold
d. conservation of momentum would not hold.
16. Which has more momentum, a large truck moving at 30 km/h or a small truck moving
at 30 km/h?
a. large truck
b. small truck
c. Both have the same momentum.
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18. A heavy object and a light object are released from rest at the same height and time
in a vacuum. As they fall, they have equal _____________.
a. weights
b. momenta
c. energies
d. acceleration
19. Which of the following is the correct description of momentum?
a. The product of force and time
b. The change in velocity per unit time
c. The product of force and distance
d. The product of mass and velocity
Halliday, D., Resnick, R. and Krane, K. (1994). Fundamentals of physics. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons
Inc.
Hewitt, P. (1989). Conceptual physics (6th Ed.) London: Scoot, Foresman and Company
Heuvelen, A. (1986). Physics: a general introduction (2nd Edition). Sta. Cruz, Manila: UNI-ED Inc.,
Jones, E. and Childers, R. (1999). Contemporary college physics. New York: Mc Craw-Hill Co.
Young, Hugh. D. (1996). University physics (9th Edition). NY : Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.
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