Chapter 9.
3 Collisions
In this section:
• Collisions and Impulse
• Single collision
• Conservation of linear momentum
• Collisions in one dimension
• Inelastic collisions
• Perfectly inelastic collisions
• Elastic collisions
• Examples
Collision and Impulse
The momentum, p, of any particle cannot change unless a net external
force, Fnet acts on it.
Two ways to change momentum: - push or throw object;
- collision with another object
In a collision (crash), - the external force is brief
- has large magnitude
- suddenly changes object’s momentum.
In a collision where one object moves and the other is stationary, the
moving object is called the projectile and the stationary object the target.
Single collision
• Let projectile = a ball and target = a bat
• The collision is brief, but force on ball big enough
to slow, stop or even reverse its motion.
• Often we do not know how the force varies with
time, but we know the magnitude of the average
force, Favg, and the duration Δt (= tf – ti) of the
collision.
• Then the magnitude of the impulse is:
J = FavgΔt = pf - pi
A golf ball with mass 5 x 10-2 kg is struck with a club as in
the figure. Assume that the ball leaves the club face with a
velocity of 44 m/s. (a) Find the magnitude of the impulse
due to the collision. (b) If the collision lasts for 9.1 x 10-4 s
Estimate the average force acting on the ball.
(a)
Symbol Value
m 5 x 10-2 kg
(b) vi 0 m/s
vf 44 m/s
J ? kgm/s
Δt 9.1 x 10-4 s
F ?N
In a crash test, a car of mass 1.5 ton collides with a wall and
rebounds as in the figure. The initial and final velocities of the car
are vi -15 m/s and vf 2.6 m/s, respectively. If the collision lasts for
0.15 s, find (a) the impulse delivered to the car due to the collision
and (b) the magnitude and direction of the average force exerted on
the car.
(a)
Symbol Value
(b) m 1.5 x 103 kg
vi - 15 m/s
vf 2.6 m/s
J ? kgm/s
Δt 0.15 s
F ?N
Conservation of Linear Momentum
• The figure show an isolated system of two particles before and after
they collide.
• “Isolated” means that no external force, such as the gravitational
force or friction, act on the system.
• Before the collision the velocities of the two particles are: v1i and v2i
• After the collision the velocities are: v1f and v2f
• Apply the impulse-momentum theorem to particle m1:
𝐹21 ∆𝑡 = 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑓 − 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖
• For particle m2:
𝐹12 ∆𝑡 = 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑓 − 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖
• F21 is the force exerted by m2 on m1 during the collision and F12 is
the force exerted by m1 on m2 during the collision.
Conservation of Linear Momentum
• From Newton’s third law:
𝐹21 = −𝐹12
• The two forces are acting over the same time interval:
𝐹21 ∆𝑡 = −𝐹12 ∆𝑡
Or
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑓 − 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖 = − 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑓 − 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖
• This expression can be rearranged to give the following:
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖 = 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑓 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑓
• This result is a special case of the law of conservation of momentum.
Conservation of Linear Momentum
In words: If no external force act on a system of
particles, the total linear momentum of the system
does not change.
Known as: Law of Conservation of Linear
Momentum:
Pi = Pf
(closed, isolated system)
Two balls of identical mass are on a flat, horizontal, frictionless surface. The red ball is
motionless; the blue ball is moving at 2.5 m/s to the left. It collides with the motionless red ball.
Each ball has a mass of 15 g. After the collision, the red ball is moving at 2.5 m/s, to the left.
What is the final velocity of the blue ball?
Symbol Value
mr = mb 0.015 kg
vbi - 2.5 m/s
vbf ? m/s
Vri 0 m/s
vrf - 2.5 m/s
Collisions in one dimension
• We get 3 types of collisions:
• Inelastic collision: In an inelastic collision, momentum is conserved
but kinetic energy is not.
• The collision of a rubber ball with a hard surface is inelastic,
because some of the kinetic energy is lost when the ball is deformed
during contact with the surface.
Collisions in one dimension
• Perfectly inelastic collision: In a perfectly inelastic collision,
momentum is conserved, kinetic energy is not, and the two objects
stick together after the collision, so their final velocities are the same.
• If a meteorite collides head on with Earth, it becomes buried in Earth
and the collision is considered perfectly inelastic.
• When two cars are in a collision and become entangled after the
collision.
Collisions in one dimension
• Elastic collision: In an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic
energy are conserved.
• Billiard ball collisions and the collisions of air molecules with the
walls of a container at ordinary temperatures are highly elastic.
Perfectly inelastic collisions
• Consider two objects having masses m1 and m2 moving with known
initial velocity components v1i and v2i along a straight line.
• If the two objects collide head-on, stick together, and move with a
common velocity component vf after the collision, then the collision is
perfectly inelastic.
• Because the total momentum of the two-object isolated system before
the collision equals the total momentum of the combined-object
system after the collision, we can write the following equation:
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖 = 𝑚1 + 𝑚2 𝑣𝑓
• Solving for vf
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖
𝑣𝑓 =
𝑚1 + 𝑚2
A pickup truck with mass 1.8 ton is traveling eastbound at +15 m/s, while a compact car with
mass 9 x 102 kg is traveling westbound at -15.0 m/s. (See the figure) The vehicles collide head-on,
becoming entangled. Find the speed of the entangled vehicles after the collision.
Symbol Value
mT 1800 kg
mC 900 kg
vTi 15 m/s
Vci -15 m/s
vf ? m/s
The ballistic pendulum (Figure) is a device used to measure the
speed of a fast - moving projectile such as a bullet. The bullet is
fired into a large block of wood suspended from some light
wires. The bullet embeds in the block, and the entire system
swings up to a height h. It is possible to obtain the initial speed
of the bullet by measuring h and the two masses. As an example
of the technique, assume that the mass of the bullet, m1, is 5 g,
the mass of the pendulum, m2, is 1 kg, and h is 5 cm. (a) Find
the velocity of the system after the bullet embeds in the block.
Symbol Value
(a) m1 0.005 kg
m2 1 kg
vsys ? m/s
vbullet,i ? m/s
h 5 x 10-2 m
(b) Calculate the initial speed of the bullet.
Symbol Value
m1 0.005 kg
m2 1 kg
vsys 0.99 m/s
vbullet,i ? m/s
vblock,i 0 m/s
Elastic collisions
• Now consider two objects that undergo an elastic
head-on collision (Fig. 6.14). In this situation, both
the momentum and the kinetic energy of the
system of two objects are conserved.
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖 = 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑓 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑓
Summary of important equations:
J = FavgΔt = pf - pi
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖 = 𝑚1 𝑣1𝑓 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑓
Pi = Pf
𝑚1 𝑣1𝑖 + 𝑚2 𝑣2𝑖
𝑣𝑓 =
𝑚1 + 𝑚2
