Chapter 2 The Momentum Principle

2.1 System and surroundings

2.2 The momentum principle
2.3 Applying the momentum principle
2.4 Momentum change with changing force
2.5 Iterative prediction of motion
2.6 Special case: Constant force
 2.1 System and surroundings
One or more objects can be considered to be
system.
Everything that is not included in the system is
part of the surroundings.
Consider a single object to be the system and
everything else in the universe to be the
surroundings.
 2.2 The momentum principle
= net

The change of momentum of a system (the effect) is

equal to the net force acting on the system times the
duration of the interaction (the cause)

The momentum principle is also known as Newtons 2nd law.

2.X.1 A balls momentum changes from <1.5, -1.2, 0.7> kg.m/s

to <1.6, -0.9, 1.1> kg.m/s. What is ?
 Force
Force is a quantitative measure of interaction

Force is a vector (it has magnitude and direction)

Definition of net force: net 1 + 2+

The net force acting on a system at an instant is

the vector sum of all the forces exerted on the
system by all the objects in the surroundings at that
instant.
 2.2 The Momentum Principle
Examples:

Compression of a spring Stretching a spring is

is also a measure of a measure of force
force
 Examples of Forces
The repulsive electric force a proton exerts on another
proton

The attractive gravitational force the Earth exerts on you

The force that a compressed spring exerts on your hand

Unit of Force : Newton (N)

The magnitude of the gravitational force by
the Earth on a small apple is about 1 newton

2.X.2 Two external forces <40, -70, 0>N and <20, 10, 0>N, act
on a system. What is the net force on the system?
Definition of Impulse

Impulse

Impulse has units of N.s (newton-seconds)

The Momentum Principle in words states that:

The change of momentum of a system is

equal to the net impulse applied to it.
 Example: Impulse applied to a baseball

Just before it touches What was the impulse

the bat, the momentum applied to the ball
of a baseball is <0,0,3> during its contact with
kgm/s. After the batter the bat?
has hit the ball, and the <-2,2,-4> kgm/s
ball is no longer in
contact with the bat, the
momentum of the
baseball is <-2,2,-1>
kgm/s.
 Example: Direction of impulse
A hockey puck is What was the direction
sliding across the ice of the impulse applied
with momentum p1 to the puck by the stick?
when a hockey player What was the direction
hits it sharply with a of the net force exerted
hockey stick. Afterward, on the puck during its
the puck has momentum short contact with the
p2. Both p1 and p2 lie in hockey stick?
the xz plane.
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle
Update Form of the Momentum Principle:
f = i + net t

The time interval t must be small enough that the net force is
nearly constant during this time interval

Separation of Components:
pfx = pix + Fnet,x t
pfy = piy + Fnet,y t
pfz = piz + Fnet,z t
Very useful in solving
problems!
For example, x components of
an objects momentum cannot
be affected by forces in the y
or z directions.
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle

Example: Ball and string: 2D, single force

Inside a spaceship in outer space there is a small

steel ball of mass 0.25 kg. At a particular instant,
the ball has momentum <-8, 3, 0> kgm/s. At that
instant the ball is being pulled by a string, which
exerts a net force <10, 25, 0> N on the ball.
What is the balls approximate momentum 0.5
seconds later?

<-3,15.5,0> kgm/s
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle

Example: Ball and string: 2D, single force

Solution:

System: the steel ball Momentum Principle:

Surroundings: the string
f = i + net t
Free-body diagram:

Momentum change
<-3,15.5,0> kgm/s
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle
Question: Using the Momentum Principle, what can we conclude
about the relative magnitudes of the force on the cart by the Earth
and the force on the cart by the track?
Solution: A fan cart on a track
System: the fan cart
Surroundings: Earth, the track and the air
The free-body diagram:

Momentum Principle:
= 0
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle
Example: A fan cart: 1D, several forces, constant net force

Suppose that you have a fan cart whose mass is 0.5 kg,
and with the fan turned on, the force acting on the cart
due to the air and friction with the track is <0.2, 0, 0> N
and constant. You give the cart a shove, and you release
the cart at position <0.5, 0, 0> m with initial velocity
<0.3, 0, 0> m/s.

What is the momentum of the cart 0.6 seconds later?

<0.27, 0, 0> kgm/s.
What is its velocity at that time? <0.54, 0, 0> m/s.
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle
Example: A fan cart: 1D, several forces, constant net force
Solution:
System: the fan cart
Surroundings: the Earth, the track, the air
Initial time: the instant your hand no longer
exerts a force on the cart
Free-body diagram: Momentum Principle:

f = i + net t

f = i + ( track+ Earth + air)

f = i + <0.2, (| track| - | Earth|), 0>
f
f

 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle

Example: Fast proton: 1D,constant net force, Relativistic

A proton in a particle accelerator is moving with velocity

<0.96c, 0, 0> m/s. A constant electric force is applied to
the proton to speed it up, Fnet = <5x10-12, 0, 0> N.
What is the protons speed as a fraction of the speed of
light after 20 ns (1 ns = 1 x 10-9s)?

<0.964c,0,0> m/s.
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle
Example: Fast proton: 1D,constant net force, Relativistic
Solution:
System: the proton
Surroundings: electric charge in the accelerator
Free-body diagram:

Momentum Principle: f = i + net t

<pfx, 0, 0> = < vix, 0, 0> + <Fnet,x , 0, 0>

/
vfx =
2
1+

2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle
Position update relation f = i + avg

Approximate Average Velocity

+
vavg,x is an approximation for vavg,x =
2

This is exactly true only if vx changes linearly

with time (acceleration is constant)

The arithmetic average is equal to vavg,x

 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle

The arithmetic average is a poor approximation for avg if

the rate of change of velocity (the acceleration = d/dt) is
not constant (the net force is not constant)

The arithmetic average is

significantly different from the
true average value of vavg,x
 2.3 Applying the Momentum Principle

The Arithmetic Average Can Be a Poor Approximation

Example:
If you drive 50 mi/hr in the +x direction for four hours, and then 20
mi/hr in the +x direction for an hour, how far have you traveled?
2.4 Momentum Change With Changing Force
In real-world situations, forces due to interactions with the
surroundings may be not constant it is common for both
the direction and magnitude of forces to change

must be small enough that the force can

be considered approximately constant over
the time interval

= 1 + 2 + 3 +

total = final - initial

2.X.11 The x component of the momentum of an object is
observed to increase with time:
At t = 0 s, p0,x = 30 kg.m/s
At t = 1 s, p1,x = 40 kg.m/s
At t = 2 s, p2,x = 50 kg.m/s
At t = 3 s, p3,x = 60 kg.m/s

What can you conclude about the x-component of the net

force acting on the object during this time?
a) Fnet.x is zero
b) Fnet.x is constant
c) Fnet.x is decreasing with time
d) Fnet.x is increasing with time
e) Not enough information is given

Hint: = net
 2.5 Iterative prediction of motion

Calculate the force acting

on the system.
Update the momentum of
the system: pf = pi + Fnet Dt.

Update the position:

rf = ri + vavg Dt.
Repeat.
 The spring force
| spring| = ks |s|
|s| is the absolute value of the stretch: s = L L0
L0 is the length of the relaxed spring
L is the length of the spring when stretched or compressed
Ks is the spring stiffness (also called spring constant)

spring = -kss

where s = | | - L0 may be positive or negative

 The spring force
Example:
Suppose that the stiffness of the spring is 9 N/m, and its relaxed length
is 21 cm. At the instant shown below, the location of the green mass is
<0.07, -0.33, 0> m relative to an origin at the point of attachment of
the spring.
What is the force exerted by the spring on the green mass at this
instant? <-0.238, 1.12 ,0> N.
2.6 Special case: Constant force

Example: 1D motion, constant net force

Suppose a fan cart of mass 0.5 kg is coasting in the +x
direction at 0.3 m/s. Then the fan is turned on, and the cart
experiences a constant net force of 0.2 N in the +x
direction for 0.6 seconds.
(a) What will the carts velocity be at the end of this
interval? (0.54 m/s)
(b) How far will the cart have travelled? (0.25 m)
2.6 Special case: Constant force
Solution:
System: Cart
Surroundings: Everything else
Free-body diagram:

Momentum Principle: f = i + net t

2.6 Special case: Constant force

Constant net force: An algebraic solution, v << c

f = i + Fnet x t Fnet x
vxf = vxi + t

(vxi +
t) + v
xi vavg,x = vxi +
1
t
vavg,x = 2
2

xf = xi + vavg,x t

1
xf = xi + vxi t + t2
2

If the net force had acted in the y or z direction the solution

would be the same, except for subscripts indicating direction
Special case: Constant force
Approximate Gravitational Force

| grav| mg

where g = +9.8 N/kg for an object of mass m near the surface

of the Earth; g is the strength of the gravitational interaction

grav = <0, -mg, 0>

2.X.16 The magnitude of the gravitational force on a small

apple is about 1 N. What is the mass of a small apple?
2.6 Special case: Constant force
Approximate Gravitational Force

The trajectory of a baseball thrown at high speed

(around 100mph, or 44 m/s), ignoring air
resistance and including the effect of air
resistance. The ball travels about half as far in air
as it would in a vacuum
2.6 Special case: Constant force

Example: Falling objects: 1D, constant net force

You simultaneously drop two balls, a 5 kg bowling ball and a 0.2 kg
billiard ball, from the top of the leaning tower of Pisa. If air
resistance were negligible, how long would it take each ball to fall
56 m to the ground? (3.38 seconds)
2.6 Special case: Constant force
Solution:

System: Bowling ball

Surroundings: Earth
Approximation: Neglect air resistance
Initial time: The instant the hand is no longer in contact with ball
Final time: The instant before the ball hits the ground

Free-body diagram:

1
yf = yi + vyi t + t2
2
2.X.22 Explain why the quantity yf yi has a negative value
(-56 m) in the preceding example. Also explain why there is a
negative sign associated with the quantity (-9.8 N/kg . 5kg),
when g = +9.8 N/kg is a positive constant.

2.X.23 A 20 gram apple falls from a branch that is 4 meters

above the ground.
a) How much time elapses before the apple hits the ground?
b) Just before the impact, what is the velocity of the apple?
2.6 Special case: Constant force
Example: A ball with negligible air resistance: 2D, constant force
A ball of mass 500 g is
initially on the ground, at
location <0, 0, 0> m, and
you kick it with initial
velocity <3, 7, 0> m/s.
Where will the ball be
half a second later?
(<1.5, 2.275, 0> m)
At what time will the
ball hit the ground?
(1.43 s)
2.6 Special case: Constant force

Solution:
System: Ball
Surroundings: Earth
Approximation: Neglect air resistance
Initial time: The instant your foot is no longer touching the ball

Free-body diagram:

net = <0, -mg, 0>

xf = xi + vxi t
1
yf = yi + vyi t + , t2
2
 More Motions
Motion graphs for the thrown ball:

.
2.X.24 A ball is kicked from a location <9, 0, -5> m (on the
ground) with initial velocity <10, 13, -5> m/s.

a) What is the velocity of the ball 0.6 seconds after being

kicked?
b) What is the location of the ball 0.6 seconds after being
kicked?
c) How much time does it take for the ball to reach its
maximum height, where vy = 0 momentarily?
d) What is the maximum height?
e) At what time does the ball hit the ground?
f) What is the location of the ball when it hits the ground?
Parallel and Perpendicular Components of the Net Force
The component of the net force that is perpendicular to
the momentum changes the direction of the momentum.

The parallel component of the force changes the magnitude of the

momentum (and the speed): If the parallel component of F is in the
direction of the momentum, the object will speed up; if the parallel
component of F is opposite to the direction of the momentum, the
object will slow down.