Linear Momentum

Essential Questions

• How is the physics definition of momentum different from how momentum is used to describe things in everyday life.

• Can a person on an elevator that breaks loose and falls to the ground avoid harm by jumping at the last second?

• Why will a water balloon break when thrown on the pavement, but not break if caught carefully?

• Why is it important that cars are designed to include crumple zones?

Learning Objectives

Linear Momentum

• Describe the linear momentum of an object or system.

Change in Momentum and Impulse

• Describe the impulse delivered to an object or system.

• Describe the relationship between the impulse exerted on an object or a system and the change in momentum of the object or system.

Conservation of Linear Momentum

• Describe the behavior of a system using conservation of linear momentum.

• Describe how the selection of a system determines whether the momentum of that system changes.

Elastic and Inelastic Collisions

• Describe whether an interaction between objects is elastic or inelastic.

Printable Learning Targets