Force, Momentum and Impulse

MCQ’s
1 An object of mass 4.0 kg is moving with a velocity of 3.0 m / s in a straight line.

What is the momentum of the object?

A 0.75 kg m / s B 1.3 kg m / s C 12 kg m / s D 24 kg m / s

2 A ball of mass 0.50 kg falls and hits the floor at 10 m / s.

It rebounds at speed 8.0 m / s, as shown.

The collision between the ball and the floor lasts for 0.50 s.

What is the average force acting on the ball during the collision?

A 2.0 N upwards

B 2.0 N downwards

C 18 N upwards

D 18 N downwards

3 An object of mass 50 kg accelerates from a velocity of 2.0 m / s to a velocity of 10 m / s

in the same direction.

What is the impulse provided to cause this acceleration?

A 250 N s B 400 N s C 850 N s D 2500 N s

4 A resultant force of 4.0 N acts on an object of mass 0.50 kg for 3.0 seconds.

What is the change in velocity caused by this force?

A 4.0 m / s B 6.0 m / s C 12 m / s D 24 m / s

0625/43/O/N/22

Fig. 2.1 shows a tennis ball approaching a tennis racket.

The tennis ball hits the racket at a speed of 52 m / s. The average force on the ball
during the time that it is in contact with the racket is 350 N. The speed of the ball after it
leaves the racket is 26 m / s in the opposite direction to the initial speed of the ball.
The mass of the ball is 58 g.

(a) (i) Calculate the change in momentum of the ball while it is in contact with the
racket.

change in momentum = ......................................................... [3]

 (ii) State an equation which defines impulse in terms of force and time.

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) Calculate the time that the racket is in contact with the ball.

time = ......................................................... [2]

(b) Calculate the difference between the values of the kinetic energy of the ball before
and after the impact with the racket.

difference in kinetic energy = ......................................................... [3]

[Total: 9]

LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM

MCQs
1 A car of mass 1000 kg travelling at 8.0 m / s collides with a lorry of mass 3000 kg that
is travelling at 2.0 m / s in the same direction. After colliding, the two vehicles stick
together.
What is their speed after the collision?

A 3.5 m / s B 2.0 m / s C 5.0 m / s D 2.5 m / s

2 A visitor to a fairground throws a soft object of mass 0.12 kg at a coconut of mass

0.48 kg. The soft object stops moving when it hits the coconut. In order to dislodge the
coconut, it must be made to move at 0.10 m/s.

What is the minimum speed with which the visitor should throw the soft object in order
to dislodge the coconut?

A 0.20 m/s B 0.40 m/s

C 2.0 m/s D 4.0 m/s

3 A ball of mass 0.16 kg is moving forwards at a speed of 0.50 m / s. A second ball of
mass 0.10 kg is stationary. The first ball strikes the second ball. The second ball moves
forwards at a speed of 0.50 m / s.

What is the speed of the first ball after the collision?

A 0.0 m / s B 0.50 m / s C 0.31 m / s D 0.19 m / s

4 A ball of mass 0.25 kg hits a wall at a speed of 16 m / s. It then rebounds back along
its original path at a speed of 12 m / s.

What is the impulse experienced by the ball during its impact with the wall?

A 1.0 N s B 3.0 N s C 4.0 N s D 7.0 N s

5 Two objects X and Y move directly towards each other. The objects have the same mass.

Object X has a velocity of 5.0 m / s to the right. Object Y has a velocity of 3.0 m / s to the left.

Object X and object Y collide and stick together.

What is their velocity after colliding?

A 1.0 m / s to the left B 1.0 m / s to the right

C 4.0 m / s to the left D 4.0 m / s to the right

7 A resultant force of 500 N acts for 10 s on a car of mass 1000 kg. This causes the velocity of
the car to double.

What is the final velocity of the car?

A 5 m / s B 10 m / s C 20 m / s D 50 m / s

8 At time = 0, a cannonball is stationary inside a cannon. The cannonball is then fired from the

cannon.

At time = t, the cannonball moves forwards and the cannon moves backwards.

What happens to the total kinetic energy and the total momentum of the cannon and the
cannonball between time = 0 and time = t ?

9 A bullet of mass 0.10 kg travels horizontally at a speed of 600 m / s. It strikes a stationary

wooden block of mass 1.90 kg resting on a frictionless, horizontal surface.

The bullet stays in the block.

What is the speed of the bullet and the block immediately after the impact?

A 30 m / s B 32 m / s C 60 m / s D 134 m / s

10 A sphere X collides head on with a second identical sphere Y which is stationary.

The mass of each sphere is 0.15 kg.

Sphere X is travelling at a velocity of 2.0 m / s before the collision and produces an impulse of

0.21 N s on sphere Y.

What is the velocity of sphere X after collision?

A 0.60 m / s in the opposite direction to Y

B 0.60 m / s in the same direction as Y

C 1.4 m / s in the opposite direction to Y

D 1.4 m / s in the same direction as Y

0625/41/ O/ N/20

1 Fig. 1.1 shows an ice-hockey player moving on ice. He is preparing to hit the solid disc called
a puck.

The disc of mass 0.16 kg is moving horizontally across the surface of the ice at a speed of 15 m/ s.

(a) Calculate the magnitude of the momentum of the disc.

0.16 x 15 = 2.4 kgm/s

Magnitude of momentum = ......................................................... [2]

(b) The hockey player strikes the disc with his hockey stick and the momentum of the disc

changes. The disc gains momentum of 3.0 kg m / s at 45° to the original direction of travel of

the disc, as shown in Fig. 1.2.

(i) State the magnitude of the impulse exerted on the disc and the direction, in degrees, of

the impulse relative to the original direction of travel.

magnitude of impulse = ...............................................................

direction of impulse: ............................ ° to original direction [1]

(ii) Determine the magnitude of the new momentum of the disc and its new direction relative

to the original direction of travel by drawing a scale diagram.

magnitude of new momentum = ...............................................................

direction of new momentum: ........................... ° to original direction[4]
[Total: 7]
5054/22/O/N/23

2 A spacecraft of mass 300 kg is moving in a straight line in space, at a speed of 8000 m / s.

(a) Calculate the momentum of the spacecraft.

momentum = ............................................. kg m / s [2]

(b) The fuel on the spacecraft explodes and the spacecraft splits into two parts. The direction
in which the parts move does not change.

(i) After the explosion, the speed of the front part increases to 9000 m / s. It has a mass of

150 kg.

Calculate the speed of the rear part after the explosion.

speed = ................................................. m / s [3]

(ii) The total kinetic energy of the two parts after the explosion is greater than the original

kinetic energy of the spacecraft.

State the energy transfer that occurs in the explosion.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]
 (iii) The explosion lasts for 0.20 s.

Calculate the average force on the front part during this time.

force = ..................................................... N [3]

[Total: 9]

3) 0625/42/O/N/23

1 (a) A balloon of mass 15 g is glued to a straw. The straw is threaded onto a horizontal string,
as shown in Fig. 1.1.

The balloon is filled with air and then the air is released.

As the air leaves the balloon, the balloon experiences a force.

The balloon accelerates from rest until it reaches a constant speed. It then travels 0.67 m in

0.18 s at this constant speed.

(i) Explain in words what is meant by the term impulse.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Calculate the resultant impulse on the balloon while it is accelerating.

 impulse = ......................................................... [2]

(iii) Explain how momentum is conserved as the balloon accelerates.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(b) Fig. 3.2 shows the directions of two forces acting on a different balloon as it moves.

Fig. 1.2 (not to scale)

Determine the magnitude and direction of the resultant force on the balloon.

magnitude ...............................................................

direction relative to horizontal force ...............................................................[3]

[Total: 8]
4 A trolley ,A, of mass 0.25 g and a second trolley B, of mass 0.5 g

are held in contact on a smooth horizontal surface. A compressed

spring inside one of the trolleys is released and they then move apart.

The speed of trolley A is 2.2 ms-1.

(i) Calculate the speed of the trolley B (ii) Calculate minimum energy stored in the spring when
compressed.