Physlet Illustration: Momentum and Impulse

 

 

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Two 100-gm balls are thrown at the same wall. The blue ball rebounds elastically from the wall, while the red ball sticks to the wall upon impact. The distance grid is in meters and the times are shown in seconds. What is the change in momentum that each ball undergoes upon impact with the wall? What can you conclude about the impulse delivered by the wall to each ball?

Hints

  1. What is the blue ball's velocity before it hits the wall? Its momentum? (Remember: that these are vector quantities!)
  2. What is its velocity after it hits the wall? Its momentum?
  3. At impact, then, what is the blue ball's change in momentum?
  4. What is the red ball's velocity before it hits the wall? Its momentum?
  5. What is its velocity after it hits the wall? Its momentum?
  6. At impact, then, what is the red ball's change in momentum?
  7. Recall that the impulse equals the change in momentum.

Reference

See Walker, Section 9-3

Illustration written by Steve Mellema