Physics Study Guides.pdf - James M. Hill Memorial High School

PhysicsMomentum Problem GuideImportant EquationsExample Problemsp - momentum m - massJ - impulseF - forcev - velocityt - timeElastic CollisionAn object (m 1 ) of mass 2 kg is moving at speed v 1 in the positive x-direction. It collides perfectly elastically withanother object (m 2 ) of mass 3 kg moving at -3 m/s. If m 1 is moving at +1 m/s and m 2 is moving at +2 m/s after thecollision, how fast was m 1 moving before the collision?SolutionTo solve this problem, we will use conservation of momentum. Since the collision was elastic, meaning that the objectsdid not stick together, we could also use conservation of kinetic energy.start with the conservation of momentumsum the initial and final momentum of bothobjectssolve for v 1iplug in known valuesInelastic CollisionAn object (m 1 ) of mass 2 kg is moving at 2 m/s in the positive x-direction. It collides perfectly inelastically with anotherobject (m 2 ) of mass 3 kg moving at -1 m/s. How fast will the objects be moving after the collision?SolutionThis problem is very similar to the example above, except the objects collide inelastically. This means that the objectsstick together after the collision. In this case, we would not be able to use conservation of kinetic energy.start with the conservation of momentumthere is only one term for the final momentumbecause the objects are stuck togethersolve for v fplug in known valuesNotesPage 2 of 2