Momentum
and Impulse
Content Overview
Activities
Tennis Ball & Basketball - How does the tennis ball fly so high when both of the balls started out so slow? Where did the extra motion come from?
Crash Carts - Set up an experiment to collect data and predict the motion and masses of colliding carts
Magnet Cannon - Releasing a magnet sets off a chain reaction. The last magnet shoots off much further than many would have predicted. Let's explore why!
An Unbreakable Egg - Throw an egg into a bed sheet hung from the ceiling. It won't break. Try again, but harder. Same result. Let's discuss how this works.
Happy & Sad Balls - One bounces, the other does not. They feel and weigh the same, so why do they act so differently, and what are the implications?
Topics
Momentum of Collisions
Impulse - Changing Momentum & Force over Time
Students are Expected to Understand
Interactions between Objects Exchange Momentum
How to measure and calculate values related to momentum
Methods of manipulating impacts to improve the desired outcome
Some notes on Momentum
The combined momentum for all objects before and after collision doesn't change, we call it a Conservation of Momentum
Depending on the type of collision, we can change how we do the math
Impulse is a change in momentum over time which can be caused by a net force
When undergoing a change in momentum, it usually applies a large net force. To change this force, time is an important factor, and more time is taken to change the momentum, the smaller the force will be. Think of it as a big piece of butter on toast. Should we have a large chunk of it in a small spot, or should we spread out that force over time?
Additional Support
Crash Course - Collisions Khan Academy - Impacts and linear momentum The Physics Classroom - Momentum and Its Conservation
*The videos above are to be used as a supplement and are not a replacement for in-class experiences