OpenStax University Physics Volume I

Unit 1: Mechanics
Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
University Physics Volume I
Unit 1: Mechanics
Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
Conceptual Questions
1. An object that has a small mass and an object that has a large mass have the same momentum.
Which object has the largest kinetic energy?
Solution
Since then if the momentum is fixed, the object with smaller mass has more kinetic
energy.
2. An object that has a small mass and an object that has a large mass have the same kinetic
energy. Which mass has the largest momentum?
Solution
The object with larger mass must have the larger momentum to have the same kinetic energy.
3. Is it possible for a small force to produce a larger impulse on a given object than a large force?
Explain.
Solution
Yes; impulse is the force applied multiplied by the time during which it is applied ( J= F ∆t ), so
if a small force acts for a long time, it may result in a larger impulse than a large force acting for
a small time.
4. Why is a 10-m fall onto concrete far more dangerous than a 10-m fall onto water?
Solution
The concrete will reduce your momentum to zero in a very short time compared with water, so it
 p
must exert a much greater average force on your body because F  .
t
5. What external force is responsible for changing the momentum of a car moving along a
horizontal road?
Solution
By friction, the road exerts a horizontal force on the tires of the car, which changes the
momentum of the car.
6. A piece of putty and a tennis ball with the same mass are thrown against a wall with the same
velocity. Which object experience a greater impulse from the wall or are the impulses equal?
Explain.
Solution
The tennis ball most likely experiences a larger-magnitude impulse than the putty. We make the
reasonable assumption that the interaction time ∆t with the wall is the same for both and assume
both have the same initial momentum . The final momentum of the putty is zero, so
The tennis ball bounces off the wall, so we can assume that the final
momentum of the tennis ball is , so . The magnitude

of the impulses received by the two objects are and .

Thus, the magnitude of the impulse received by the tennis ball is roughly twice that received by
the putty.
7. Under what circumstances is momentum conserved?

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
Solution
Momentum is conserved when the mass of the system of interest remains constant during the
interaction in question and when no net external force acts on the system during the interaction.
8. Can momentum be conserved for a system if there are external forces acting on the system? If
so, under what conditions? If not, why not?
Solution
Yes, momentum can be conserved even if external forces act on the system, provided that those
forces cancel so that the net external force is zero.
9. Explain in terms of momentum and Newton’s laws how a car’s air resistance is due in part to
the fact that it pushes air in its direction of motion.
Solution
To accelerate air molecules in the direction of motion of the car, the car must exert a force on
these molecules by Newton’s second law . By Newton’s third law, the air molecules
exert a force of equal magnitude but in the opposite direction on the car. This force acts in the
direction opposite the motion of the car and constitutes the force due to air resistance.
10. Can objects in a system have momentum while the momentum of the system is zero? Explain
your answer.
Solution
Yes, the momentum of a system can be zero even if the objects composing the system have
nonzero momentum if the vector sum of the momentum of these objects sums to zero (i.e., their
momenta cancel out).
11. A sprinter accelerates out of the starting blocks. Can you consider him as a closed system?
Explain.
Solution
No, he is not a closed system because a net nonzero external force acts on him in the form of the
starting blocks pushing on his feet.
12. A rocket in deep space (zero gravity) accelerates by firing hot gas out of its thrusters. Does
the rocket constitute a closed system? Explain.
Solution
No, the rocket is not a closed system. Although no external forces act on the rocket, its mass
changes as it fires gas out of its thrusters.
13. Two objects of equal mass are moving with equal and opposite velocities when they collide.
Can all the kinetic energy be lost in the collision?
Solution
Yes, all the kinetic energy can be lost if the two masses come to rest due to the collision (i.e.,
they stick together).
14. Describe a system for which momentum is conserved but mechanical energy is not. Now the
reverse: Describe a system for which kinetic energy is conserved but momentum is not.
Solution
A system in which momentum is conserved but not mechanical energy could be two balls of
putty of the same mass and opposite initial velocities that collide and stick together. A system in
which momentum is not conserved does not exist because, a change in momentum requires a net
external force but, by definition, such a force would come from outside the system and so is not
part of the system. Note that mechanical energy is conserved in closed systems in which all
collisions are elastic.

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Unit 1: Mechanics
Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
15. Momentum for a system can be conserved in one direction while not being conserved in
another. What is the angle between the directions? Give an example.
Solution
The angle between the directions must be 90°. Any system that has zero net external force in one
direction and nonzero net external force in a perpendicular direction will satisfy these conditions.
16. Suppose a fireworks shell explodes, breaking into three large pieces for which air resistance
is negligible. How does the explosion affect the motion of the center of mass? How would it be
affected if the pieces experienced significantly more air resistance than the intact shell?
Solution
Neglecting air resistance, which is an external force, the center of mass of the shell after the
explosion continues to move in the same parabolic trajectory due to gravity as it did before the
explosion. If we consider air resistance to be significant, then the motion of the center of mass
will drop below the parabolic trajectory.
17. It is possible for the velocity of a rocket to be greater than the exhaust velocity of the gases it
ejects. When that is the case, the gas velocity and gas momentum are in the same direction as
that of the rocket. How is the rocket still able to obtain thrust by ejecting the gases?
Solution
Yes, the rocket speed can exceed the exhaust speed of the gases it ejects. The thrust of the rocket
does not depend on the relative speeds of the gases and rocket, it simply depends on conservation
of momentum.

Problems
18. An elephant and a hunter are having a confrontation.

a. Calculate the momentum of the 2000.0-kg elephant charging the hunter at a speed of 7.50
m/s.
b. Calculate the ratio of the elephant’s momentum to the momentum of a 0.0400-kg tranquilizer
dart fired at a speed of 600 m/s.
c. What is the momentum of the 90.0-kg hunter running at 7.40 m/s after missing the elephant?
Solution
a. ; b. Greater by a factor of 625; c.
19. A skater of mass 40 kg is carrying a box of mass 5 kg. The skater has a speed of 5 m/s with
respect to the floor and is gliding without any friction on a smooth surface.
a. Find the momentum of the box with respect to the floor.
b. Find the momentum of the box with respect to the floor after she puts the box down on the
frictionless skating surface.
Solution

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
a. magnitude: b. same as a.
20. A car of mass 2000 kg is moving with a constant velocity of 10 m/s due east. What is the
momentum of the car?
Solution
due east
21. The mass of Earth is 5.97 1024 kg and its orbital radius is an average of 1.501011 m .
Calculate the magnitude of its linear momentum at the location in the diagram.

Solution
1.781029 kg  m/s
22. If a rainstorm drops 1 cm of rain over an area of 10 km2 in the period of 1 hour, what is the
momentum of the rain that falls in one second? Assume the terminal velocity of a raindrop is 10
m/s.
Solution
2.8 ×106 kg ⋅ m/s
23. What is the average momentum of an avalanche that moves a 40-cm-thick layer of snow over
an area of 100 m by 500 m over a distance of 1 km down a hill in 5.5 s? Assume a density of 350
kg/m3 for the snow.
Solution
1.3 ×109 kg ⋅ m/s
24. What is the average momentum of a 70.0-kg sprinter who runs the 100-m dash in 9.65 s?
Solution
725 kg ⋅ m/s
25. A 75.0-kg person is riding in a car moving at 20.0 m/s when the car runs into a bridge
abutment (see the following figure).

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
a. Calculate the average force on the person if he is stopped by a padded dashboard that
compresses an average of 1.00 cm.
b. Calculate the average force on the person if he is stopped by an air bag that compresses an
average of 15.0 cm.
Solution
a. ; b.
26. One hazard of space travel is debris left by previous missions. There are several thousand
objects orbiting Earth that are large enough to be detected by radar, but there are far greater
numbers of very small objects, such as flakes of paint. Calculate the force exerted by a 0.100-mg
chip of paint that strikes a spacecraft window at a relative speed of , given the
collision lasts .
Solution

27. A cruise ship with a mass of strikes a pier at a speed of 0.750 m/s. It comes to
rest after traveling 6.00 m, damaging the ship, the pier, and the tugboat captain’s finances.
Calculate the average force exerted on the pier using the concept of impulse. (Hint: First
calculate the time it took to bring the ship to rest, assuming a constant force.)

Solution

28. Calculate the final speed of a 110-kg rugby player who is initially running at 8.00 m/s but
collides head-on with a padded goalpost and experiences a backward force of for
.
Solution
0.80 m/s
29. Water from a fire hose is directed horizontally against a wall at a rate of 50.0 kg/s and a
speed of 42.0 m/s. Calculate the force exerted on the wall, assuming the water’s horizontal
momentum is reduced to zero.
Solution

30. A 0.450-kg hammer is moving horizontally at 7.00 m/s when it strikes a nail and comes to
rest after driving the nail 1.00 cm into a board. Assume constant acceleration of the hammer-nail
pair.
a. Calculate the duration of the impact.
b. What was the average force exerted on the nail?
Solution
a. ; b.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
31. What is the momentum (as a function of time) of a 5.0-kg particle moving with a velocity
What is the net force acting on this particle?
Solution
;
32. The x-component of a force on a 46-g golf ball by a 7-iron versus time is plotted in the
following figure:

a. Find the x-component of the impulse during the intervals

i. [0, 50 ms], and
ii. [50 ms, 100 ms]
b. Find the change in the x-component of the momentum during the intervals
iii. [0, 50 ms], and
iv. [50 ms, 100 ms]
Solution
a. i. , ii. ; b. i. , ii.
33. A hockey puck of mass 150 g is sliding due east on a frictionless table with a speed of 10
m/s. Suddenly, a constant force of magnitude 5 N and direction due north is applied to the puck
for 1.5 s. Find the north and east components of the momentum at the end of the 1.5-s interval.

Solution
Let the positive x-axis be in the direction of the original momentum. Then and

34. A ball of mass 250 g is thrown with an initial velocity of 25 m/s at an angle of 30° with the
horizontal direction. Ignore air resistance. What is the momentum of the ball after 0.2 s? (Do this
problem by finding the components of the momentum first, and then constructing the magnitude
and direction of the momentum vector from the components.)

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Solution
at 26°
35. Train cars are coupled together by being bumped into one another. Suppose two loaded train
cars are moving toward one another, the first having a mass of and a velocity of
and the second having a mass of and a velocity of . What
is their final velocity?

Solution

36. Two identical pucks collide elastically on an air hockey table. Puck 1 was originally at rest;
puck 2 has an incoming speed of 6.00 m/s and scatters at an angle of 30° with respect to its
incoming direction. What is the velocity (magnitude and direction) of puck 1 after the collision?

Solution

37. The figure below shows a bullet of mass 200 g traveling horizontally towards the east with
speed 400 m/s, which strikes a block of mass 1.5 kg that is initially at rest on a frictionless table.

After striking the block, the bullet is embedded in the block and the block and the bullet move
together as one unit.
a. What is the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the block/bullet combination
immediately after the impact?
b. What is the magnitude and direction of the impulse by the block on the bullet?
c. What is the magnitude and direction of the impulse from the bullet on the block?

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
d. If it took 3 ms for the bullet to change the speed from 400 m/s to the final speed after impact,
what is the average force between the block and the bullet during this time?
Solution
a. 47 m/s in the bullet to block direction; b. , toward the bullet; c. , toward the
block; d. magnitude is
38. A 20-kg child is coasting at 3.3 m/s over flat ground in a 4.0-kg wagon. The child drops a
1.0-kg ball out the back of the wagon. What is the final speed of the child and wagon?
Solution
3.3 m/s
39. A 4.5 kg puffer fish expands to 40% of its mass by taking in water. When the puffer fish is
threatened, it releases the water toward the threat to move quickly forward. What is the ratio of
the speed of the puffer fish forward to the speed of the expelled water backwards?
Solution
2:5
40. Explain why a cannon recoils when it fires a shell.
Solution
The initial momentum of the cannon-shell system is zero, so the final momentum must also be
zero. Because the shell carries some momentum forward, the cannon must conserve momentum
by moving backward.
41. Two figure skaters are coasting in the same direction, with the leading skater moving at 5.5
m/s and the trailing skating moving at 6.2 m/s. When the trailing skater catches up with the
leading skater, he picks her up without applying any horizontal forces on his skates. If the
trailing skater is 50% heavier than the 50-kg leading skater, what is their speed after he picks her
up?
Solution
5.9 m/s
42. A 2000-kg railway freight car coasts at 4.4 m/s underneath a grain terminal, which dumps
grain directly down into the freight car. If the speed of the loaded freight car must not go below
3.0 m/s, what is the maximum mass of grain that it can accept?
Solution
9.3 ×102 kg
43. A 5.50-kg bowling ball moving at 9.00 m/s collides with a 0.850-kg bowling pin, which is
scattered at an angle to the initial direction of the bowling ball and with a speed of 15.0 m/s.
a. Calculate the final velocity (magnitude and direction) of the bowling ball.
b. Is the collision elastic?
Solution
a. 6.80 m/s, 5.33°; b. yes (calculate the ratio of the initial and final kinetic energies)
44. Ernest Rutherford (the first New Zealander to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
demonstrated that nuclei were very small and dense by scattering helium-4 nuclei from gold-197
nuclei. The energy of the incoming helium nucleus was , and the masses of the
helium and gold nuclei were and , respectively (note that their
mass ratio is 4 to 197).
a. If a helium nucleus scatters to an angle of 120° during an elastic collision with a gold
nucleus, calculate the helium nucleus’s final speed and the final velocity (magnitude and
direction) of the gold nucleus.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions

b. What is the final kinetic energy of the helium nucleus?

Solution
(a) vAu = 5.4 ×105 m/s, θ Au = −29° , (b) 7.5 ×10−13 J
45. A 90.0-kg ice hockey player hits a 0.150-kg puck, giving the puck a velocity of 45.0 m/s. If
both are initially at rest and if the ice is frictionless, how far does the player recoil in the time it
takes the puck to reach the goal 15.0 m away?
Solution
2.5 cm
46. A 100-g firecracker is launched vertically into the air and explodes into two pieces at the
peak of its trajectory. If a 72-g piece is projected horizontally to the left at 20 m/s, what is the
speed and direction of the other piece?
Solution
51 m/s horizontally to the right
47. In an elastic collision, a 400-kg bumper car collides directly from behind with a second,
identical bumper car that is traveling in the same direction. The initial speed of the leading
bumper car is 5.60 m/s and that of the trailing car is 6.00 m/s. Assuming that the mass of the
drivers is much, much less than that of the bumper cars, what are their final speeds?
Solution
the speed of the leading bumper car is 6.00 m/s and that of the trailing bumper car is 5.60 m/s
48. Repeat the preceding problem if the mass of the leading bumper car is 30.0% greater than
that of the trailing bumper car.
Solution
the speed of the leading bumper car is 5.95 m/s and that of the trailing bumper car is 5.55 m/s
49. An alpha particle (4He) undergoes an elastic collision with a stationary uranium nucleus
(235U). What percent of the kinetic energy of the alpha particle is transferred to the uranium
nucleus? Assume the collision is one-dimensional.
Solution
6.6%
50. You are standing on a very slippery icy surface and throw a 1-kg football horizontally at a
speed of 6.7 m/s. What is your velocity when you release the football? Assume your mass is 65
kg.
Solution
0.10 m/s in the direction opposite that of the football
51. A 35-kg child rides a relatively massless sled down a hill and then coasts along the flat
section at the bottom, where a second 35-kg child jumps on the sled as it passes by her. If the
speed of the sled is 3.5 m/s before the second child jumps on, what is its speed after she jumps
on?
Solution
1.8 m/s

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
52. A boy sleds down a hill and onto a frictionless ice-covered lake at 10.0 m/s. In the middle of
the lake is a 1000-kg boulder. When the sled crashes into the boulder, he is propelled backwards
from the boulder. The collision is an elastic collision. If the boy’s mass is 40.0 kg and the sled’s
mass is 2.50 kg, what is the speed of the sled and the boulder after the collision?
Solution
–9.18 m/s, 0.815 m/s
53. A 0.90-kg falcon is diving at 28.0 m/s at a downward angle of 35° . It catches a 0.325-kg
pigeon from behind in midair. What is their combined velocity after impact if the pigeon’s initial
velocity was 7.00 m/s directed horizontally? Note that v̂1,i is a unit vector pointing in the
direction in which the falcon is initially flying.

Solution
22.1 m/s at 32.2° below the horizontal
54. A billiard ball, labeled 1, moving horizontally strikes another billiard ball, labeled 2, at rest.
Before impact, ball 1 was moving at a speed of 3.00 m/s, and after impact it is moving at 0.50
m/s at 50° from the original direction. If the two balls have equal masses of 300 g, what is the
velocity of the ball 2 after the impact?
Solution
2.7 m/s, 8.1° below the horizontal direction
55. A projectile of mass 2.0 kg is fired in the air at an angle of 40.0 ° to the horizon at a speed of
50.0 m/s. At the highest point in its flight, the projectile breaks into three parts of mass 1.0 kg,
0.7 kg, and 0.3 kg. The 1.0-kg part falls straight down after breakup with an initial speed of 10.0
m/s, the 0.7-kg part moves in the original forward direction, and the 0.3-kg part goes straight up.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
a. Find the speeds of the 0.3-kg and 0.7-kg pieces immediately after the break-up.
b. How high from the break-up point does the 0.3-kg piece go before coming to rest?
c. Where does the 0.7-kg piece land relative to where it was fired from?
Solution
a. 33 m/s and 110 m/s; b. 57 m; c. 480 m
56. Two asteroids collide and stick together. The first asteroid has mass of 15 ×103 kg and is
initially moving at 770 m/s. The second asteroid has mass of 20 ×103 kg and is moving at 1020
m/s. Their initial velocities made an angle of 20° with respect to each other. What is the final
speed and direction with respect to the velocity of the first asteroid?
Solution
900 m/s, 12.8° with respect to the velocity of first asteroid
57. A 200-kg rocket in deep space moves with a velocity of (121 m/s ) ˆi + ( 38.0 m/s ) ˆj . Suddenly,
it explodes into three pieces, with the first (78 kg) moving at − ( 321 m/s ) ˆi + ( 228 m/s ) ˆj and the
second (56 kg) moving at (16.0 m/s ) ˆi − ( 88.0 m/s ) ˆj . Find the velocity of the third piece.
Solution
( 732 m/s ) ˆi + ( −79.6 m/s ) ˆj
58. A proton traveling at 3.0 ×106 m/s scatters elastically from an initially stationary alpha
particle and is deflected at an angle of 85° with respect to its initial velocity. Given that the alpha
particle has four times the mass of the proton, what percent of its initial kinetic energy does the
proton retain after the collision?
Solution
63%
59. Three 70-kg deer are standing on a flat 200-kg rock that is on an ice-covered pond. A
gunshot goes off and the dear scatter, with deer A running at (15 m/s ) ˆi + ( 5.0 m/s ) ˆj , deer B
running at ( −12 m/s ) ˆi + ( 8.0 m/s ) ˆj , and deer C running at (1.2 m/s ) ˆi − (18.0 m/s ) ˆj . What is the
velocity of the rock on which they were standing?
Solution
− ( 0.21 m/s ) ˆi + ( 0.25 m/s ) ˆj
60. A family is skating. The father (75 kg) skates at 8.2 m/s and collides and sticks to the mother
(50 kg), who was initially moving at 3.3 m/s and at 45° with respect to the father’s velocity. The
pair then collides with their daughter (30 kg), who was stationary, and the three slide off
together. What is their final velocity?
Solution
4.6 m/s at 9.1° with respect to the father’s initial velocity
61. An oxygen atom (mass 16 u) moving at 733 m/s at 15.0° with respect to the î direction
collides and sticks to an oxygen molecule (mass 32 u) moving at 528 m/s at 128° with respect to
the î direction. The two stick together to form ozone. What is the final velocity of the ozone
molecule?
Solution
341 m/s at 86.8° with respect to the î axis.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
62. Two cars of the same mass approach an extremely icy four-way perpendicular intersection.
Car A travels northward at 30 m/s and car B is travelling eastward. They collide and stick
together, traveling at 28° north of east. What was the initial velocity of car B?
Solution
56 m/s eastward
63. Three point masses are placed at the corners of a triangle as shown in the figure below.

Find the center of mass of the three-mass system.

Solution
With the origin defined to be at the position of the 150-g mass, and

64. Two particles of masses m1 and m2 separated by a horizontal distance D are released from
the same height h at the same time. Find the vertical position of the center of mass of these two
particles at a time before the two particles strike the ground. Assume no air resistance.
Solution
1
yCM= h − gt 2
2
65. Two particles of equal masses m1 and m2 separated by a horizontal distance D are let go
from the same height h at different times. Particle 1 starts at t  0 , and particle 2 is let go at
t  T  . Find the vertical position of the center of mass at a time before the first particle strikes the
ground. Assume no air resistance.
Solution
 h 1 2
 − gt , t < T
2 4
yCM = 
h − 1 gt 2 − 1 gT 2 + 1 gtT , t ≥ T
 2 4 2
66. Two particles of masses m1 and m2 move uniformly in different circles of radii R1 and R2
about origin in the x,y-plane. The x- and y-coordinates of the center of mass and that of particle 1
are given as follows (where length is in meters and t in seconds):
x1 (t )  4 cos(2t ), y1 (t )  4sin(2t )
and:
xCM (t )  3cos(2t ), yCM (t )  3sin(2t )
a. Find the radius of the circle in which particle 1 moves.
b. Find the x- and y-coordinates of particle 2 and the radius of the circle this particle moves.
Solution

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m1 − 3m2 m − 3m2
a. 4 m; b. x2 (t ) = cos(2t ) , y2 (t ) = 1 sin(2t ) , with M  m1  m2 , then
m2 m2
1
R2  9 M 2  16m12  24m1M
m2
67. Two particles of masses m1 and m2 move uniformly in different circles of radii R1 and R2
about the origin in the x,y-plane. The coordinates of the two particles in meters are given as
follows ( z = 0 for both). Here t is in seconds:

a. Find the radii of the circles of motion of both particles.

b. Find the x- and y-coordinates of the center of mass.
c. Decide if the center of mass moves in a circle by plotting its trajectory.
Solution
m x  m2 x2 m y  m2 y2
a. R1  4m , R2  2m ; b. X CM  1 1 , YCM  1 1 ; c. yes, with
m1  m2 m1  m2
1
R 16m12  4m22
m1  m2
g
68. Find the center of mass of a one-meter long rod, made of 50 cm of iron (density 8 ) and
cm3
g
50 cm of aluminum (density 2.7 ).
cm3
Solution
12.6 cm from the center of the iron rod towards the aluminum rod
69. Find the center of mass of a rod of length L whose mass density changes from one end to the
other quadratically. That is, if the rod is laid out along the x-axis with one end at the origin and
2
 x 

the other end at x = L , the density is given by  ( x)  0  1  0   , where 0 and 1 are
 L 
constant values.
Solution
3    0 
xcm  L  1 
4  1  20 
70. Find the center of mass of a rectangular block of length a and width b that has a nonuniform
density such that when the rectangle is placed in the x,y-plane with one corner at the origin and
the block placed in the first quadrant with the two edges along the x- and y-axes, the density is
given by  ( x, y )  0 x , where 0 is a constant.
Solution

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71. Find the center of mass of a rectangular material of length a and width b made up of a
material of nonuniform density. The density is such that when the rectangle is placed in the xy-
plane, the density is given by  ( x, y )  0 xy
Solution

72. A cube of side a is cut out of another cube of side b as shown in the figure below.

Find the location of the center of mass of the structure. (Hint: Think of the missing part as a
negative mass overlapping a positive mass.)
Solution
Assume origin is at lower left corner of cube, then
 b4 − a 4 b4 − a 4 b4 − a 4 
( xCM , yCM , zCM ) =  3 3 , 3 3 , 3 3 
 2(a + b ) 2(a + b ) 2(a + b ) 
73. Find the center of mass of cone of uniform density that has a radius R at the base, height h,
and mass M. Let the origin be at the center of the base of the cone and have +z going through the
cone vertex.
Solution
( xCM , yCM , zCM )  (0, 0, h 4) 
74. Find the center of mass of a thin wire of mass m and length L bent in a semicircular shape.
Let the origin be at the center of the semicircle and have the wire arc from the +x axis, cross the
+y axis, and terminate at the −x axis.
Solution
( xCM , yCM , zCM )  (0, 2 L  2 , 0)
75. Find the center of mass of a uniform thin semicircular plate of radius R. Let the origin be at
the center of the semicircle, the plate arc from the +x axis to the −x axis, and the z axis be
perpendicular to the plate.
Solution
( xCM , yCM , zCM )  (0, 4 R (3 ) , 0)
76. Find the center of mass of a sphere of mass M and radius R and a cylinder of mass m, radius
r, and height h arranged as shown below.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions

Express your answers in a coordinate system that has the origin at the center of the cylinder.
Solution

a. ; b.

77. (a) A 5.00-kg squid initially at rest ejects 0.250 kg of fluid with a velocity of 10.0 m/s. What
is the recoil velocity of the squid if the ejection is done in 0.100 s and there is a 5.00-N frictional
force opposing the squid’s movement?
(b) How much energy is lost to work done against friction?
Solution
(a) 0.413 m/s, (b) about 0.2 J
78. A rocket takes off from Earth and reaches a speed of 100 m/s in 10.0 s. If the exhaust speed
is 1500 m/s and the mass of fuel burned is 100 kg, what was the initial mass of the rocket?
Solution
809 kg
79. Repeat the preceding problem but for a rocket that takes off from a space station, where there
is no gravity other than the negligible gravity due to the space station.
Solution
1551 kg
80. How much fuel would be needed for a 1000-kg rocket (this is its mass with no fuel) to take
off from Earth and reach 1000 m/s in 30 s? The exhaust speed is 1000 m/s.
Solution
2.65 ×103 kg
81. What exhaust speed is required to accelerate a rocket in deep space from 800 m/s to 1000 m/s
in 5.0 s if the total rocket mass is 1200 kg and the rocket only has 50 kg of fuel left?
Solution
4.9 km/s
82. Unreasonable Results Squids have been reported to jump from the ocean and travel 30.0 m
(measured horizontally) before re-entering the water.
(a) Calculate the initial speed of the squid if it leaves the water at an angle of 20.0°, assuming
negligible lift from the air and negligible air resistance.
(b) The squid propels itself by squirting water. What fraction of its mass would it have to eject in
order to achieve the speed found in the previous part? The water is ejected at 12.0 m/s;
gravitational force and friction are neglected.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
(c) What is unreasonable about the results?
(d) Which premise is unreasonable, or which premises are inconsistent?
Solution
a. 21.4 m/s, b. 575%, c. The squid cannot eject over five times it mass in water because its mass
includes the mass of the water that it ejects. d. The range is much too far.

Additional Problems
83. Two 70-kg canoers paddle in a single, 50-kg canoe. Their paddling moves the canoe at 1.2
m/s with respect to the water, and the river they’re in flows at 4 m/s with respect to the land.
What is their momentum with respect to the land?
Solution
988 kg ⋅ m/s
84. Which has a larger magnitude of momentum: a 3000-kg elephant moving at 40 km/h or a 60-
kg cheetah moving at 112 km/h?
Solution
the elephant has a higher momentum
85. A driver applies the brakes and reduces the speed of her car by 20%, without changing the
direction in which the car is moving. By how much does the car’s momentum change?
Solution
−20%
86. Your friend claims that momentum is mass multiplied by velocity, so things with more mass
have more momentum. Do you agree? Explain.
Solution
Answers may vary. The first clause is true, but the second clause is not true in general because
the velocity of an object with small mass may be large enough so that the momentum of the
object is greater than that of a larger-mass object with a smaller velocity.
87. Dropping a glass on a cement floor is more likely to break the glass than if it is dropped from
the same height on a grass lawn. Explain in terms of the impulse.
Solution
 
Both situations reduce the momentum of the glass to zero, so the impulse J  Favet is the same.
However, because the change occurs over a longer time for the grass, the average force applied
to the grass is less, making it less likely to break.
88. Your 1500-kg sports car accelerates from 0 to 30 m/s in 10 s. What average force is exerted
on it during this acceleration?
Solution
4.5 × 103 N
89. A ball of mass m is dropped. What is the formula for the impulse exerted on the ball from
the instant it is dropped to an arbitrary time τ later? Ignore air resistance.
Solution
   
J   mgdt  mg
0

90. Repeat the preceding problem, but including a drag force due to air of
Solution
    m 2  b m
J    mg  mg 1 ebt m  dt  g e 1
0   b

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
91. A 5.0-g egg falls from a 90-cm-high counter onto the floor and breaks. What impulse is
exerted by the floor on the egg?
Solution
( 0.021 kg ⋅ m/s ) ˆj
92. A car crashes into a large tree that does not move. The car goes from 30 m/s to 0 in 1.3 m. (a)
What impulse is applied to the driver by the seatbelt, assuming he follows the same motion as the
car? (b) What is the average force applied to the driver by the seatbelt?
Solution
a. − ( 2.1×103 kg ⋅ m/s ) ˆi , b. − ( 24 ×103 N ) ˆi
93. Two hockey players approach each other head on, each traveling at the same speed vi . They
collide and get tangled together, falling down and moving off at a speed vi 5 . What is the ratio
of their masses?
Solution
3/2 or 2/3
94. You are coasting on your 10-kg bicycle at 15 m/s and a 5.0-g bug splatters on your helmet.
The bug was initially moving at 2.0 m/s in the same direction as you. If your mass is 60 kg, (a)
what is the initial momentum of you plus your bicycle? (b) What is the initial momentum of the
bug? (c) What is your change in velocity due to the collision with the bug? (d) What would the
change in velocity have been if the bug were traveling in the opposite direction?
Solution
a. (1.1×103 kg ⋅ m/s ) ˆi , b. ( 0.010 kg ⋅ m/s ) ˆi , c. − ( 0.00093 m/s ) ˆi , d. − ( 0.0012 m/s ) ˆi
95. A load of gravel is dumped straight down into a 30 000-kg freight car coasting at 2.2 m/s on
a straight section of a railroad. If the freight car’s speed after receiving the gravel is 1.5 m/s,
what mass of gravel did it receive?
Solution
14 × 103 kg
96. Two carts on a straight track collide head on. The first cart was moving at 3.6 m/s in the
positive x direction and the second was moving at 2.4 m/s in the opposite direction. After the
collision, the second car continues moving in its initial direction of motion at 0.24 m/s. If the
mass of the second car is 5.0 times that of the first, what is the mass and final velocity of the first
car?
Solution
0.10 kg, − (130 m/s ) ˆi
97. A 100-kg astronaut finds himself separated from his spaceship by 10 m and moving away
from the spaceship at 0.1 m/s. To get back to the spaceship, he throws a 10-kg tool bag away
from the spaceship at 5.0 m/s. How long will he take to return to the spaceship?
Solution
25 s
98. Derive the equations giving the final speeds for two objects that collide elastically, with the
mass of the objects being m1 and m2 and the initial speeds being v1,i and v2,i = 0 (i.e., second
object is initially stationary).
Solution

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
m1 − m2 2m1
=v1,f v=1,i , v2,f v1,i
m1 + m2 m1 + m2
99. Repeat the preceding problem for the case when the initial speed of the second object is
nonzero.
Solution
m1v1,i − m2 v1,i + 2m2 v2,i 2m1v1,i − m1v2,i + m2 v2,i
v1,f = , v2,f
m1 + m2 m1 + m2
100. A child sleds down a hill and collides at 5.6 m/s into a stationary sled that is identical to his.
The child is launched forward at the same speed, leaving behind the two sleds that lock together
and slide forward more slowly. What is the speed of the two sleds after this collision?
Solution
2.8 m/s
101. For the preceding problem, find the final speed of each sled for the case of an elastic
collision.
Solution
final speed of first sled is v1,f = 0 , final speed of second sled is v2,f = 5.6 m/s
102. A 90-kg football player jumps vertically into the air to catch a 0.50-kg football that is
thrown essentially horizontally at him at 17 m/s. What is his horizontal speed after catching the
ball?
Solution
0.094 m/s
103. Three skydivers are plummeting earthward. They are initially holding onto each other, but
then push apart. Two skydivers of mass 70 and 80 kg gain horizontal velocities of 1.2 m/s north
and 1.4 m/s southeast, respectively. What is the horizontal velocity of the third skydiver, whose
mass is 55 kg?
Solution
3.3 m/s, 64° west of north
104. Two billiard balls are at rest and touching each other on a pool table. The cue ball travels at
3.8 m/s along the line of symmetry between these balls and strikes them simultaneously. If the
collision is elastic, what is the velocity of the three balls after the collision?
Solution
final velocity of cue ball is − ( 0.76 m/s ) ˆi , final velocities of the other two balls are 2.6 m/s at
±30° with respect to the initial velocity of the cue ball
105. A billiard ball traveling at ( 2.2 m/s ) ˆi − ( 0.4 m/s ) ˆj collides with a wall that is aligned in the
ĵ direction. Assuming the collision is elastic, what is the final velocity of the ball?
Solution
− ( 2.2 m/s ) ˆi − ( 0.4 m/s ) ˆj
106. Two identical billiard balls collide. The first one is initially traveling at
( 2.2 m/s ) ˆi − ( 0.4 m/s ) ˆj and the second one at − (1.4 m/s ) ˆi + ( 2.4 m/s ) ˆj . Suppose they collide
when the center of ball 1 is at the origin and the center of ball 2 is at the point ( 2 R, 0 ) where R is
the radius of the balls. What is the final velocity of each ball?
Solution

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
ball 1: − (1.4 m/s ) ˆi − ( 0.4 m/s ) ˆj , ball 2: ( 2.2 m/s ) ˆi + ( 2.4 m/s ) ˆj
107. Repeat the preceding problem if the balls collide when the center of ball 1 is at the origin
and the center of ball 2 is at the point ( 0, 2R ) .
Solution
ball 1: ( 2.2 m/s ) ˆi + ( 2.4 m/s ) ˆj , ball 2: − (1.4 m/s ) ˆi − ( 0.4 m/s ) ˆj
108. Repeat the preceding problem if the balls collide when the center of ball 1 is at the origin
(
and the center of ball 2 is at the point 3 R 2, R 2 )
Solution
ball 1: (1.4 m/s ) ˆi − (1.7 m/s ) ˆj, ball 2: − ( 2.8 m/s ) ˆi + ( 0.012 m/s ) ˆj
109. Where is the center of mass of a semicircular wire of radius R that is centered on the origin,
begins and ends on the x axis, and lies in the x,y plane?
Solution
( 0, 2R π )
110. Where is the center of mass of a slice of pizza that was cut into eight equal slices? Assume
the origin is at the apex of the slice and measure angles with respect to an edge of the slice. The
radius of the pizza is R.
Solution
( r ,θ ) = ( 2 R 3, π 8)
111. If 1% of the Earth’s mass were transferred to the Moon, how far would the center of mass
of the Earth-Moon-population system move? The mass of the Earth is 5.97 ×1024 kg and that of
the Moon is 7.34 ×1022 kg .The radius of the Moon’s orbit is about 3.84 ×105 km.
Solution
3.79 × 103 km
112. Your friend wonders how a rocket continues to climb into the sky once it is sufficiently
high above the surface of Earth so that its expelled gasses no longer push on the surface. How do
you respond?
Solution
Answers may vary. The rocket is propelled forward not by the gasses pushing against the surface
of Earth, but by conservation of momentum. The momentum of the gas being expelled out the
back of the rocket must be compensated by an increase in the forward momentum of the rocket.
113. To increase the acceleration of a rocket, should you throw rocks out of the front window of
the rocket or out of the back window?
Solution
back window

Challenge Problems
114. A 65-kg person jumps from the first floor window of a burning building and lands almost
vertically on the ground with a horizontal velocity of 3 m/s and vertical velocity of .
Upon impact with the ground he is brought to rest in a short time. The force experienced by his
feet depends on whether he keeps his knees stiff or bends them. Find the force on his feet in each
case.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions

(a) First find the impulse on the person from the impact on the ground. Calculate both its
magnitude and direction.
(b) Find the average force on the feet if the person keeps his leg stiff and straight and his center
of mass drops by only 1 cm vertically and 1 cm horizontally during the impact.
(c) Find the average force on the feet if the person bends his legs throughout the impact so that
his center of mass drops by 50 cm vertically and 5 cm horizontally during the impact.
(d) Compare the results of part (b) and (c), and draw conclusions about which way is better.
You will need to find the time the impact lasts by making reasonable assumptions about the
deceleration. Although the force is not constant during the impact, working with constant
average force for this problem is acceptable.
Solution
a. , 108° ; b. , ; c. ,
115. Two projectiles of mass m1 and m2 are fired at the same speed but in opposite directions
from two launch sites separated by a distance D. They both reach the same spot in their highest
point and strike there. As a result of the impact they stick together and move as a single body
afterwards. Find the place they will land.
Solution

from the midpoint.

116. Two identical objects (such as billiard balls) have a one-dimensional collision in which one
is initially motionless. After the collision, the moving object is stationary and the other moves
with the same speed as the other originally had. Show that both momentum and kinetic energy
are conserved.
Solution
Conservation of momentum demands m1v1,i + m2 v2,i = m1v1,f + m2 v2,f . We are given that m1 = m2 ,
v1,i = v2,f , and v=
2,i v=
1,f 0 . Combining these equations with the equation given by conservation
of momentum gives v1,i = v1,i , which is true, so conservation of momentum is satisfied.
Conservation of energy demands 1
2 m1v1,i2 + 12 m2 v2,i
2 2
= 12 m1v1,f 2
+ 12 m2 v2,f . Again combining this
equation with the conditions given above give v1,i = v1,i , so conservation of energy is satisfied.
117. A ramp of mass M is at rest on a horizontal surface. A small cart of mass m is placed at the
top of the ramp and released.

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions

What are the velocities of the ramp and the cart relative to the ground at the instant the cart
leaves the ramp?
Solution

118. Find the center of mass of the structure given in the figure below. Assume a uniform
thickness of 20 cm, and a uniform density of 1 g/cm3 .

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Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions

Solution
Assume origin on centerline and at floor, then ( xCM , yCM ) = ( 0,86 cm )

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