3.1.

3 In Class or Homework Exercise

1. A 35.0 g bullet strikes a 5.00 kg stationary wooden block and embeds itself
in the block. The block and the bullet fly off together at 8.6 m/s. What was
the original velocity of the bullet?
mb  35.0 g  0.035kg
mw  5.00kg
vt  8.6m / s
vb  ?
There is one object (the bullet) moving before the collision; after the
collision the bullet and the wood move as one object:

pt  pt
mb vb  mt vt
(0.035)vb  (5.035)(8.6)
vb  1200m / s

2. A 35.0 g bullet moving at 475 m/s strikes a 2.5 kg wooden block. The bullet
passes through the block, leaving at 275 m/s. The block was at rest when it
was hit. How fast is it moving when the bullet leaves?
mb  35.0 g  0.035kg
mw  2.5kg
vb  475m / s
vb  275m / s
vw  ?

There is one object (the bullet) moving before the collision; after the
collision the bullet and the wood are moving separately:

pt  pt
pb  pb  pw
mb vb  mb vb  mwvw
(0.035)(475)  (0.035)(275)  2.5vw
vw  2.8m / s

3. A 0.50 kg ball traveling at 6.0 m/s collides head on with a 1.00 kg ball
moving in the opposite direction at a velocity of -12.0 m/s. The 0.50 kg ball

UNIT 3 Momentum and Energy RRHS PHYSICS 11 Page 20 of 109

 moves away at -14.0 m/s after the collision. Find the velocity of the second
ball.
m1  0.50kg pt  pt
m2  1.00kg
p1  p2  p1  p2
v1  6.0m / s
m1v1  m2 v2  m1v1  m2v2
v2  12.0m / s
(0.50)(6.0)  (1.00)(12.0)  (0.50)(14.0)  1.00v2
v1  14.0m / s
v2  ? v2  2.0m / s

4. A 0.105 kg hockey puck moving at 48 m/s is caught by a 75 kg goalie.

a. With what speed does the goalie slide along the ice?
The goalie and the puck will be moving as one object after the
collision; it is this speed that we are trying to find.
pt  pt
m p  0.105kg
p p  pt
mg  75kg
mb v p  mt vt
v p  48m / s
(0.105)(48)  (75.105)vt
vt  ?
vt  0.067 m / s

b. If the coefficient of friction between the goalie and the ice is 0.25,
how far does the goalie slide before he stops?
Since we are given the coefficient of friction, we must uses the
forces involved to find the acceleration.

vi  0.067 m / s ma   F v 2f  vi2
d 
vf  0 ma   F f 2a
  0.25 ma    FN 0  0.067 2

d  ? ma    mg 2( 2.45)
a  (0.25)(9.80)  9.2 10 4 m
 2.45m / s 2  0.92mm

UNIT 3 Momentum and Energy RRHS PHYSICS 11 Page 21 of 109

 5. Calculate the recoil velocity of a 4.0 kg rifle which shoots a 0.050 kg bullet
at a speed of 280 m/s.
mr  4.0kg
mb  0.050kg
vb  280m / s
vr  ?
The rifle and the bullet are initially at rest, so there is zero momentum. The
final momentum (after the explosion) must also be zero.

pt  pt
0  pb  pr
0  mb vb  mr vr
0  (0.050)(280)  (4.0)vr
vr  3.5m / s
Notice that the gun goes backward at a speed of 3.5 m/s.

6. A 50.0 kg woman, riding on a 10.0 kg cart, is moving east at 5.0 m/s. The
woman jumps off the cart and hits the ground at 7.0 m/s eastward, relative
to the ground. Calculate the velocity of the cart after she jumps off.
Initially, the woman and the cart are moving as one object. After the
“explosion” they are moving as two individual objects. Using east as
positive,
pt  pt
mw  50.0kg
mc  10.0kg pt  pw  pc
vt  5.0m / s mt vt  mwvw  mc vc
vw  7.0m / s (60.0)(5.0)  (50.0)(7.0)  10.0vc
vc  ? vc  5.0m / s
The cart goes backward with a speed of 5.0 m/s relative to the ground.

7. A 92 kg rugby player, running at 5.0 m/s, attempts to dive across the try
line for a score. Just as he reaches the try line, he is met head-on in midair
by two 75 kg players, one moving at 2.0 m/s and the other at 4.0 m/s. If
they all become entangled as one mass, with what velocity do they travel?
Does the player score?
To determine if the player scores, we must determine what direction he is
moving after the collision – if he is still moving in the same direction, he
scores since he will cross the line. If he is moving in the opposite direction,
he will not score since he will have been prevented from going forward.

UNIT 3 Momentum and Energy RRHS PHYSICS 11 Page 22 of 109

 m1  92kg
pt  pt
m2  75kg
m3  75kg p1  p2  p3  pt
v1  5.0m / s m1v1  m2 v2  m3v3  mt vt
v2  2.0m / s (92)(5.0)  (75)(2.0)  (75)(4.0)  (92  75  75)vt
v3  4.0m / s
vt  0.041m / s
vt  ?
Since the players are all moving in the original direction of the player that
was trying to score, he crosses the try line!

8. A 5.00 g bullet is fired with a velocity of 100. m/s toward a 10.00 kg

stationary solid block resting on a frictionless surface.
a. What is the change in momentum of the bullet if it is embedded in
the block?
In order to find the change in momentum of the bullet, we need the
final velocity of the bullet. We can use conservation of momentum to
find this:
m1  5.00 g  0.00500kg pt  pt
m2  10.00kg m1v1  mt vt
v1  100. m / s
(0.00500)(100.)  10.005vt
vt  ?
vt  0.0500m / s

We can now find the change in momentum of the bullet:

p  mv
 m(v f  vi )
 (0.00500)(0.0500  100.)
 0.500kg  m / s

b. What is the change in momentum of the bullet if it ricochets in the

opposite direction with a speed of 99 m/s?
This time we know both the initial speed and the final speed.
mb  0.00500kg
p  mv
vb  100. m / s
 (0.00500)(99  100.)
vb  99m / s
 0.995kg  m / s
p  ?
Notice that there is a much larger change in momentum when the
bullet ricochets.

UNIT 3 Momentum and Energy RRHS PHYSICS 11 Page 23 of 109

 9. A 150 kg astronaut (including space suit) acquires a speed of 2.35 m/s
(relative to the capsule) by pushing off with his legs from a 2200 kg space
capsule.
a. What is the change in speed of the space capsule?
ma  150kg
mc  2200kg
va  2.35m / s
vc  ?
If we use the space capsule as our frame of reference, we can
assume that it is not moving. The initial speed of the capsule and
astronaut is then zero and vc  vc

pt  pt
0  ma va  mc vc
0  (150)(2.35)  (2200)vc
vc  0.16m / s

b. If the push lasts 0.200 s, what was the average force exerted by
each on the other?
Since the force that the astronaut exerts on the capsule is the same
as the force that the capsule exerts on the astronaut, we can find
either one. Looking at the astronaut:
pa  J a
ma va  Fa t
(150)(2.35  0)  Fa (0.200)
Fa  1800 N

10. During a tennis serve, momentum gained by the ball is lost by the racket. If
momentum is conserved, why doesn’t the racket’s speed change much?
This can be considered in two ways. First, if we look at just the racket and
the ball as a system, our hand is exerting an outside force that (along with
the greater mass of the racket) resists any change in velocity of the racket.

If we enlarge our system to include our body, the mass of our body and the
racket is MUCH larger than the mass of the ball. Since the change in
momentum of the ball is the same magnitude as the change in momentum
of the racket and person, the one with the much greater mass (racket and
person) will have a much smaller velocity.

11. Two trucks that look the same collide. One was originally at rest. The
trucks stick together and move off at more than half the original speed of
the moving truck. What can you say about the contents of the two trucks?

UNIT 3 Momentum and Energy RRHS PHYSICS 11 Page 24 of 109

 If the trucks had the same mass, they would move off at exactly half the
original speed of the moving truck:
pt  pt
m1v1  mt vt
mv  2 mvt
1
vt  v
2
Since they are moving at more than half this original speed, the moving
truck must have had a greater mass.

12. Two bullets of equal mass are shot at equal speeds at blocks of wood on a
smooth ice rink. One bullet, made of rubber, bounces off the wood. The
other bullet, made of aluminium, burrows into the wood. Which bullet
makes the wood move faster?
The bullet that bounces off has a greater change in momentum, since it
has a greater change in velocity. This means that a greater impulse had to
be applied to it ( p  J ). Because of Newton’s Third Law, the magnitude of
the force (and therefore the impulse) that the wood applied to the bullet is
the same as that applied to the wood. Since the bullet that bounced off
applied a bigger impulse to the wood, the wood would have a greater
speed after the collision in this case.

13. When shooting a rifle, it is important not to hold the rifle in front of you but
to hold against your body. Explain why.
Due to conservation of momentum, the rifle has a recoil velocity towards
you when the bullet is fired. If you are holding the rifle in front of you, it will
fly backwards and hit you. By holding it against your body, you are
effectively increasing the mass of the rifle, which reduces its recoil velocity.

UNIT 3 Momentum and Energy RRHS PHYSICS 11 Page 25 of 109