Example:Let us consider the situation proposed at the beginning of this section.

A 60-kg archer
stands at rest on frictionless ice and fires a 0.50-kg arrow horizontally at 50 m/s as shown in figure
With what velocity does the archer move across the ice after firing the arrow?
Y For this problem we cannot use Newton’s second law because we
have no information about the force on the arrow or its accelaration.
X However, we can use conservation of the momentum. Consider the
system as archer (including the bow) and the arrow. The system is
not isolated because we have gravitational force and normal force.
However this forces are perpendicular to motion of the system.

The total horizontal momentum of the system before the

arrow is fired is zero in here particle 1 and
particle 2 are archer and arrow, respectively. So, after the
arrow is fired total horizontal momentum is zero

The negative sign for v1f indicates that the archer is moving
to the left after the arrow is fired according to Newton’s third law.
Example:In a particular crash test, a car of mass 1 500 kg collides with a wall, as shown in Figure
9.6. The initial and final velocities of the car are , respectively. If
the collision lasts for 0.150 s, find the impulse caused by the collision and the average force
exerted on the car.
Let’s assume that the force exerted
by the wall on the car is large
compared with other forces on the
car so that we can apply the
impulse approximation.
Example: Two blocks of masses m and 3m are placed on a frictionless,
horizontal surface. A light spring is attached to the more massive block, and the
blocks are pushed together with the spring between them. A cord initially
holding the blocks together is burned; after that happens, the block of mass 3m
moves to the right with a speed of 4.00 m/s.
What is the velocity of the block of mass m?
Solution:
Before After
𝑃𝑖 = 0 𝑃𝑓 = 0
m∗ 𝑣Ԧ + 3m∗(4𝑖Ƹ ) = 0
𝑣Ԧ = (−12𝑖)Ƹ 𝑚/𝑠

+x
Example: A 450 g ball moving horizontally with speed 6.4 m/s strikes a
vertical wall and rebounds with speed 3.1 m/s.
(a)What is the impulse (in unit-vector notation), on the ball from the wall?
(b)If the contact time between wall and the ball is 2.5 ms, calculate the
average force on the ball from the wall during contact.
 Solution:
(a) 𝑝Ԧ𝑖 = 𝑚 ∗ 𝑣Ԧ𝑖 ; 𝑝Ԧ𝑖 = (2.88𝑖)Ƹ 𝑘𝑔𝑚/𝑠

𝑝Ԧ𝑓 = 𝑚 ∗ 𝑣Ԧ𝑓 ; 𝑝Ԧ𝑓 = (−1.40 𝑖)𝑘𝑔𝑚/𝑠

Ƹ

𝐼Ԧ = ∆𝑝Ԧ = 𝑝Ԧ𝑓 − 𝑝Ԧ𝑖 = 4.28 −𝑖Ƹ 𝑘𝑔𝑚/𝑠

(b) 𝐼Ԧ = 𝐹Ԧ𝑎𝑣𝑔 ∗ Δ𝑡 ,

𝐼Ԧ −4.28 𝑖Ƹ
𝐹Ԧ𝑎𝑣𝑔 = = −3
= −1712𝑖Ƹ 𝑁
Δ𝑡 (2.5 ∗ 10 )
Collisions in One Dimension
Example: An 1 800-kg car stopped at a traffic light is struck from the rear by a 900-kg car,
and the two become entangled, moving along the same path as that of the originally
moving car. If the smaller car were moving at 20.0 m/s before the collision, what is
the velocity of the entangled cars after the collision?

Solution: The phrase “become entangled” tells us that this is a perfectly inelastic collision.
For smaller car, inital momentum
Example: A 10,000-kg railroad car, A, traveling at a speed of 24.0
m/s strikes an identical car, B, at rest. If the cars lock together as a
result of the collision, how much of the initial kinetic energy is
transformed to thermal or other forms of energy?

Before collision

After collision
 𝑃𝑖 = 𝑚𝐴 𝑣Ԧ𝐴 + 𝑚𝐵 𝑣Ԧ𝐵 ; 𝑣Ԧ𝐵 =0 Conservation of Momentum: 𝑃𝑖 = 𝑃𝑓

𝑃𝑖 = 𝑚𝐴 𝑣Ԧ𝐴 𝑚𝐴 𝑣Ԧ𝐴 = (2 𝑚𝐴 )𝑣′

Ԧ

𝑃𝑓 = (𝑚𝐴 + 𝑚𝐵 )𝑣 ′ = (2 𝑚𝐴 )𝑣 ′ 𝑣Ԧ𝐴
𝑣Ԧ ′ = = 12 𝑖Ƹ m/s
2

➢ A perfectly inelastic collision.

➢ Ki – Kf = The energy is transformed to thermal or other forms of energy

1 1 2
𝑚𝐴 ∗ 𝑣𝐴 − 2𝑚𝐴 ∗ 𝑣 ′ = 1.44 ∗ 106 𝐽
2
2 2
Example:
Solution:

𝑃𝑖 = 𝑝Ԧ𝐴 + 𝑝Ԧ𝐵 𝑃𝑓 = 𝑝′
Ԧ 𝐴 + 𝑝′
Ԧ𝐵
𝑝Ԧ𝐴 = 𝑚𝐴 ∗ 𝑣Ԧ𝐴 & 𝑝Ԧ𝐵 = 0 𝑝′ ෠
Ԧ 𝐴 = 2 ∗ (−2𝑖Ƹ + 3𝑘)
𝑝Ԧ𝐴 = 2 ∗ (4𝑖+
Ƹ 5𝑗− ෠
Ƹ 2𝑘) 𝑝′ ෠ kg.m/s
Ԧ 𝐴 = (−4𝑖Ƹ + 6𝑘)

𝑃𝑖 = 𝑝Ԧ𝐴 = (8𝑖Ƹ + 10𝑗− ෠ kg.m/s

Ƹ 4𝑘) 𝑃𝑓 = −4𝑖Ƹ + 6𝑘෠ + 𝑝′𝐵

𝑃𝑖 = 𝑃𝑓
෠ = −4𝑖Ƹ + 6𝑘෠ + 𝑝′𝐵
(8𝑖Ƹ + 10𝑗Ƹ − 4𝑘)
𝑝′𝐵 = (12𝑖+ ෠ = 3 ∗ 𝑣Ԧ𝐵 ′
Ƹ 10𝑗Ƹ − 10𝑘)
𝑣Ԧ𝐵 ′= 4𝑖+ Ƹ 3.3𝑘෠ 𝑚/𝑠
Ƹ 3.3𝑗−
Example: The ballistic pendulum is a device used
to measure the speed of a projectile, such as a bullet.
The projectile, of mass m, is fired into a large block
of mass M, which is suspended like a pendulum. As
a result of the collision, the pendulum and projectile
together swing up to a maximum height h.
Determine the relationship between the initial
horizontal speed of the projectile, v, and the
maximum height h.
Solution:

Before collision After collision Mechanical energy is conserved

(K + U) just after collision =
(K + U) at pendulum’s maximum height

1
𝑚 + 𝑀 𝑣′2 + 0 = 0 + 𝑚 + 𝑀 𝑔ℎ
Momentum is conserved 2
total P before = total P after
𝑣′ = 2𝑔ℎ (ii)
𝑚𝑣 = 𝑚 + 𝑀 𝑣′

𝑚+𝑀 ′ 𝑚+𝑀 ′ 𝑚+𝑀

𝑣= 𝑣 = 2𝑔ℎ
𝑣= 𝑣 (i) 𝑚 𝑚
𝑚
Collisions in Two or Three Dimensions
We showed that the momentum of a system of two particles is conserved when the system is isolated.
For any collision of two particles, this result implies that the momentum in each of the directions x, y,
and z is conserved. For such two-dimensional collisions, we obtain two component equations for
conservation of momentum:

If the collision is elastic, we can also use

Example: Billiard ball A moving with speed vA = 3.0 m/s in the +x direction strikes an
equal-mass ball B initially at rest. The two balls are observed to move off at 45° to the x
axis, ball A above the x axis and ball B below. That is, θA = θB = 45°. What are the speeds
of the two balls after the collision?
The x component of momentum
conservation gives :
𝑝Ԧ𝐴𝑥 + 𝑝Ԧ𝐵𝑥 = 𝑝′
Ԧ 𝐴𝑥 + 𝑝′
Ԧ 𝐵𝑥
𝑚𝑣𝐴 = 𝑚𝑣𝐴 ′ cos(45)+ 𝑚𝑣𝐵 ′ cos(45) 𝜃𝐴 = 45𝑜
𝜃𝐵 = 45𝑜
𝑣𝐴 = 𝑣𝐴 ′ cos(45)+ 𝑣𝐵 ′ cos(45) (1)

The y component of momentum

conservation gives :
𝑝Ԧ𝐴𝑦 + 𝑝Ԧ𝐵𝑦 = 𝑝′
Ԧ 𝐴𝑦 + 𝑝′
Ԧ 𝐵𝑦 Use eq. (2) in eq. (1)

0 = 𝑚𝑣𝐴 ′ sin(45) − 𝑚𝑣𝐵 ′ sin(45) 𝑣𝐴 = 𝑣𝐴 ′ cos(45)+ 𝑣𝐵 ′ cos(45) = 2𝑣𝐴 ′ cos(45)

𝑣𝐴′ = 𝑣𝐵′ (2) 𝑣𝐴 3
𝑣𝐴′ = 𝑣𝐵′ = = = 2.1 m/s
2 cos(45) 2(0.707)
Example:
Solution: (a)
The x component of momentum conservation gives :
′ ′
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑥 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑥 = 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑥 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑥
′
2 ∗ 30 − (4 ∗ 12 cos(55)) = (2 ∗ 6 cos(23)) + (4 ∗ 𝑣2𝑥 )
′
32.47 = 11.05 + 4𝑣2𝑥
′
𝑣2𝑥 = 5.36m/s
The y component of momentum conservation gives :
′ ′
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑦 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑦 = 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑦 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑦
′
0 + (4 ∗ 12 sin(55)) = (2 ∗ 6 sin(23)) + (4 ∗ 𝑣2𝑦 )
′
39.32 = 4.69 + 4𝑣2𝑦
′
𝑣2𝑦 = 8.66 m/s 𝑣2′ = 5.36 𝑖Ƹ + 8.66𝑗Ƹ 𝑚/𝑠
 Solution:

(b) 𝑝Ԧ1𝑖 = 𝑚1 𝑣Ԧ1 = 2 ∗ (30𝑖)Ƹ = (60𝑖)Ƹ kg. m/s

𝑝Ԧ1𝑓 = 𝑚1 𝑣′
Ԧ 1 = (2 ∗ 6 cos(23))𝑖Ƹ + (2 ∗ 6 sin(23))𝑗Ƹ

𝑝Ԧ1𝑓 =(11.05𝑖Ƹ + 4.69𝑗)𝑘𝑔.

Ƹ 𝑚/𝑠

𝐼Ԧ1 = ∆𝑝Ԧ1 = 𝑝Ԧ1𝑓 − 𝑝Ԧ1𝑖

𝐼Ԧ1 = 11.05𝑖Ƹ + 4.69𝑗Ƹ − (60𝑖)Ƹ
𝐼Ԧ1 = −48.95𝑖Ƹ + 4.69𝑗Ƹ 𝑘𝑔. 𝑚/𝑠