Q.Define the terms momentum and impulse. State and explain the law of conservation of linear momentum. Give examples.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Momentum is p = mv; impulse is J = FΔt = change in momentum (Δp); the law of conservation of linear momentum says the total momentum of an isolated system (no external force) stays constant, as illustrated by gun recoil and collisions.
Momentum. The linear momentum of a body is defined as the product of its mass m and velocity v:
p = mv
Momentum is a vector quantity, having the same direction as the velocity; its SI unit is kg m/s.
Impulse. Impulse is defined as the product of the force F applied to a body and the (short) time interval Δt for which it acts:
J = F × Δt
From Newton's second law, F = dp/dt, so integrating over the interval of action gives J = Δp — impulse equals the change in momentum produced by the force. This is useful when a large force acts for a very short time (e.g., a bat hitting a ball), where the exact force-time profile is hard to measure but the impulse (= change in momentum) can be found directly.
Law of conservation of linear momentum. In the absence of any external force acting on a system of bodies, the total linear momentum of the system remains constant (conserved) — it does not change with time, even though the individual bodies within the system may exert forces on each other (internal/mutual forces) and exchange momentum among themselves. This follows directly from Newton's third law: for every internal action-reaction pair, the forces are equal and opposite, so their contributions to the total rate of change of momentum cancel out; hence dP_total/dt = 0 when F_external = 0.
Examples: …
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