Chapter 7

Momentum and Collision

7.1 Impulse and Momentum Change

      From Fav = DP/Dt = ma , one obtains

      Fav Dt (Impulse)  =  DP (Change in Momentum)

which can be used to calculate the impulse or the average force during the collision.

Ex: A 70 kg passenger in a car moving at 18 m/s (40 mi/h) in a head-on collision and stopped in 100 ms. Compute the average force exerted by the seat belt on the passenger.

DP = 70 x 18 - 0 = 1,260 kg m/s;
Fav = DP /Dt = 1,260 (kg m/s) / 0.1 s = 12,600 N = 2,832 lb

 

7.2 Varying Impact Force: impact force or collision force is very intense and last for only a very short in duration. It rises from zero to a maximum value and falls off to zero in milliseconds.

7.3 Rocket Thrust

Ex: A rocket engine expels 5.0 kg of exhaust gas per second at a speed of 1.2 km/s. Calculate the thrust of the rocket engine.

      Fav = DP/Dt = (5.0 kg x 1.2 km/s - 0) /1 s = 6.0 kN  

Ex: A 1-kg hammer slams down on a nail at 5 m/s and bounces off upward at 1 m/s. If the impact lasts 1 ms, what average force is exerted on the nail?

      DP= Pf - Pi = m(Vf - Vi) = 1x(1 + 5)/10**-3 = 6.0 kN


7.4 Conservation of Linear Momentum

From the definition Fav = DP/Dt, the change of momentum in a collision can be calculated as  

      DP = Fav Dt

In a two-body collision system, the collision force is internal to the system. By considering the two bodies involved in a collision as a single system, the net force acting on the system is zero (why?), i.e.,

       Fav = 0 leading to

       DP = Pi - Pf = 0,

       Pi = Pf = constant ---------------------------------------------- (1)

The momentum of each body changes in a collision, but the total momentum of the system (two bodies) is constant as shown in (1).

Ex: Two astronauts playing catch of a small moon as shown in Figure 7.9

What is the momentum of the Astronaut on the left in Figure 7.9, if you are asked to extend the snapshot into frame (e)?

Ex: A 60-kg cosmonautjumps from her 5000-kg spaceship to meet her copilot who is float at rest a few hundred meters away. If she sails toward him at a speed of 10 m/s, what is the resulting speed of the spaceship?

    60 kg x 10 m/s + 5000 kg x V = 0

    V = -600/5000 m/s = -0.12 m/s in the opposite direction to her velocity.

 

7.5 Collisions

Collisions involve internal forces, no external forces. The simplest case of collisions involves two-body colliding head on. During collisions, body A exerts a force on body B, and body B exerts an equal and opposite force on body A. No external forces are involved in the collision.

(A) Elastic Collision: Kinetic Energy is Conserved

Consider a two-body head-on collision. If the collision is elastic, no permanent deformation occurred to either bodies. No kinetic energy is transformed into potential energy associated with any deformation, i.e., the total kinetic energy after the collision is the same as the total kinetic energy before the collision. This is why the kinetic energy is conserved in an elastic collision.

Two bodies with masses m1 and m2 undergo head-on elastic collision. The velocities of the two bodies before collision are V1i and V2i = 0 (m2 was at rest before collision) respectively. Determine their velocities, V1f and V2f, after the collision.

Conservation of momentum: the total momentum before and after the collision is the same, i.e.,

     m1V1i + m2V2i = m1V1f + m2V2f -------------------------------------------------- (1)

Kinetic energy is conserved if the collision is elastic (no metal bending or configurational change). The total kinetic energy before and after the collision is the same:

    (1/2)m1 (V1i)**2 + (1/2)m2 (V2i)**2 = (1/2)m1 (V1f)**2 + (1/2)m2 (V2f)**2 ------ (2)

Equations (1) and (2) can be solved for the two unknowns V1f  and V2f:

Since V2i = 0, (1) and (2) are reduced to

      m1V1i + 0 = m1V1f + m2V2f ------------------------------------------------------- (1')

      (1/2)m1 V1i**2 + 0 = (1/2)m1 V1f**2 + (1/2)m2 V2f**2 -------------------------- (2')

(1') becomes m1 (V1i - V1f) = m2V2f --------------------------------------------------- (1")

(2') becomes m1 [V1i**2 - V1f**2] = m2 V2f**2 which can be factored to

                 m1 (V1i - V1f)(V1i + V1f) = m2V2f**2 ------------------------------------ (2")

Divide (2") by (1") leads to (V1i + V1f) = V2f ------------------------------------------ (3)

Substitute (3) into (1") leads to V1f = (m1 - m2)/(m1 + m2) V1i ---------------------- (4)

Substituting (4) into (3) leads to V2f = 2m1 /(m1 + m2) V1i -------------------------  (5)

Ex: A steel ball of mass M1 is fired at speed V1i at a steel ball of mass M2 (=2M1) which is at rest. If no kinetic energy is lost, what is the speed of each ball after the collision?

Conservation of momentum:     M1 V1i + 0 = M1 V1f + M2 V2f ------------------ (1)

No kinetic nergy lost:    (1/2)M1 V1i**2 = (1/2)M1 V1f**2 + (1/2)M2 V2f**2 -- (2)

Two unknowns V1f and V2f in two equations (1) and (2):

If M2 = 2M1

(1) reduces to V1f = V1i - 2V2f

(2) reduces to V1i**2 = V1f**2 + 2V2f**2 = (V1i - 2V2f)**2 + 2V2f**2

     -4V1i V2f + 4V2f**2 + 2V2f**2 = 0    or    4V1i = 6V2f

Leading to the solution:    V2f = (2/3)V1i and V1f = -(1/3)V1i --- bouncing back! 

(B) Inelastic Collisions: momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is not.

Equation (1) is valid, but equation (2) is no longer valid for inelastic collisions. We now have one equation with two unknowns. We cannot solve the problem unless an additional condition or equation is given or identified.

In the case of a complete inelastic head-on collisions, the two bodies stuck together so that they move at the same velocity Vf = V2f = V1f .

Thus, (1) is reduced to    Vf = (m1V1i + m2V2i)/(m1 + m2)

Ex: A small car collides head-on with a big truck, calculate how much of the total kinetic energy goes into metal bending and heat. The lost of kinetic energy depends on the situation as shown below:

(a) A small car of mass m1 and speed V1i ran into a big truck (m1 /m2 = 0.1) at rest
(
V2i = 0). The collision is assumed completely inelastic

     Vf = m1V1i /(m1 + m2) = 0.1 V1i

     KEi - KEf = KEi [1 - KEf/KEi] = KEi [1 - KEf/KEi] = KEi [m2 /(m1 + m2)] = 0.91 KEi

Almost the entire kinetic energy of the small car turns into metal bending and heat.

(b) A small car of mass m1  at rest (V1i = 0) was hit head-on by a massive truck
    (
m1 /m2 = 0.1) moving at V2i. The collision is assumed completely inelastic.

            Vf = m2V2i /(m1 + m2) = 0.9 V2i

         KEi - KEf = KEi (1 - KEf/KEi) = 0.1 KEi

If the total initial kinetic energy in cases (a) and (b) are the same, the total damage caused by the collision in case (b) is much less than the total damage in case (a). 

HW Chap 7: 11, 27, 39, 59