Q.A woman throws an object of mass 500 g with a speed of 25 m s1.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Impulse Momentum Theorem
The Intuition: Why Do We Need a "New" Idea?
Imagine you're catching a cricket ball. If you let your hands stay rigid, the ball stings and might bounce off. But if you give with the ball — pulling your hands back as you catch — the catch feels soft and the ball stops gently.
Same ball, same speed, same change in momentum. But the force you feel is completely different. Why?
The answer is time. When you pull your hands back, you increase the time over which the ball slows down. A longer time means a smaller force — even though the total "oomph" needed to stop the ball is the same. That "oomph" is called impulse.
Impulse is not a mysterious new quantity. It's just force multiplied by the time it acts. If you push gently for a long time, or push hard for a short time, you can produce the same effect.
The Precise Statement
The Impulse-Momentum Theorem says:
The impulse delivered to an object equals the change in its momentum.
In symbols:
J=Δp
Where:
- J is the impulse (a vector)
- Δp is the change in momentum (also a vector)
And since impulse is force times time:
FavgΔt=mvf−mvi
J=FavgΔt=Δp
Breaking It Down Piece by Piece
Momentum (p) is mass times velocity: p=mv. It's a measure of how hard it is to stop a moving object. A truck moving slowly has large momentum; a bullet moving fast has large momentum too.
Impulse (J) is the product of the average force and the time interval over which it acts: J=FavgΔt.
The theorem connects them: the net impulse changes the momentum. If you apply a net force to an object for some time, its momentum changes by exactly that amount.
A common mistake is to think impulse is just force. It's force × time. A huge force acting for a tiny time (like a bat hitting a ball) can produce the same impulse as a tiny force acting for a long time (like a gentle push).
Why This Matters: Real-World Examples
Catching a ball (soft vs. hard hands)
- Hard hands: Δt is small → Favg is large (it hurts)
- Soft hands: Δt is large → Favg is small (it's comfortable)
- In both cases, Δp is the same (ball goes from moving to stopped)
Airbags in cars
- Without airbag: your head hits the dashboard in ~0.01 s → huge force
- With airbag: your head decelerates over ~0.1 s → force is 10 times smaller
- Same change in momentum, but the airbag extends the time
A cricket bat hitting a ball
- The bat is in contact with the ball for a few milliseconds
- The force during that contact is enormous (hundreds of Newtons)
- The impulse changes the ball's momentum from one direction to another
The Mathematical Derivation (Short)
Start from Newton's second law:
Fnet=ma=mdtdv
Multiply both sides by dt:
Fnetdt=mdv
Integrate over the time interval:
∫titfFnetdt=m∫vivfdv=mvf−mvi
The left side is the impulse (the area under the force-time graph). The right side is the change in momentum. …
Impulse-Momentum Theorem: impulse =Δp=m(vf−vi).
(a) Mass m=500 g =0.5 kg, thrown from rest (vi=0) to vf=25 m/s.
J=pf−pi=0.5×25−0=12.5 kg m/s
(b) Take the direction toward the wall as positive.
pi=0.5×25=12.5 kg m/s.
Rebounding at half speed, reversed direction: vf=−21(25)=−12.5 m/s.
pf=0.5×(−12.5)=−6.25 kg m/s.
Δp=pf−pi=−6.25−12.5=−18.75 kg m/s …
Impulse is the change in momentum. For part (a), it equals the object's momentum since it starts from rest. For part (b), the vector nature of momentum makes the magnitude of change larger than either individual momentum, because direction reverses.
- The impulse imparted is 12.5 kg m/s.
- The change in momentum has magnitude 18.75 kg m/s, opposite to the initial direction of motion.
Momentum (p) is a vector quantity defined as the product of an object's mass (m) and its velocity (v):
p=mv
Impulse (J) is also a vector quantity and equals the change in momentum (Δp) of an object:
J=Δp=pfinal−pinitial
Given:
- Mass of the object, m=500 g=0.500 kg
- Initial speed when thrown, u=25 m/s
(a) What is the impulse imparted to the object?
This asks for the impulse given to the object by the woman to bring it from rest to a speed of 25 m/s.
- Initial and final states: vi=0 m/s (at rest before the throw); vf=25 m/s (its direction taken as positive).
- Initial momentum: pi=mvi=0.500×0=0 kg m/s.
- Final momentum: pf=mvf=0.500×25=12.5 kg m/s.
- Impulse imparted: J=pf−pi=12.5−0=12.5 kg m/s, in the direction the object is thrown.
(b) Change in momentum on rebounding
- Coordinate system: take the direction of motion toward the wall as positive. Velocity just before hitting the wall: v1=+25 m/s.
- Momentum just before impact: p1=mv1=0.500×25=+12.5 kg m/s.
- Velocity after rebound: half the original speed, direction reversed: v2=−21(25)=−12.5 m/s. …
Concept: Impulse-Momentum Theorem
Impulse equals the change in momentum, J=Δp=m(vf−vi), where momentum is a vector — direction matters.
Step 1: Convert units and identify given data
m=500 g=0.5 kg, thrown speed =25 m/s.
Step 2: Part (a) — impulse imparted by the throw
Before the throw the object is at rest (vi=0); after, vf=25 m/s.
J=m(vf−vi)=0.5×(25−0)=12.5 kg m/s
Step 3: Part (b) — set up a sign convention for the wall collision …
Showing the 12 most recent of 28 on this concept.
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-12-FN1 markMCQQ.The figure shows the position-time graph of a particle of mass 2 kg [graph: x(m) vs t(s); position increases linearly from the origin (0,0) to point A at (t=2 s,x=4 m), then remains constant at x=4 m for t>2 s]. The impulse of the particle at t=0 s is (A) 2 kgms−1 (B) 4 kgms−1 (C) 1 kgms−1 (D) 3 kgms−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
The particle is jolted from rest into a constant velocity of 2 m/s at t=0; impulse equals the resulting change in momentum, 4 kg·m/s.
Concept and Intuition
Impulse is defined as the change in linear momentum, J=Δp=m(vf−vi). A position-time graph's slope directly gives velocity, so reading off the slope in each segment of the graph tells us the velocities before and after any sudden change (here, at t=0).
Step-by-Step Solution
- From the graph, for 0≤t≤2 s, position increases linearly from x=0 to x=4 m, so the velocity in this interval is v=ΔtΔx=24=2 m/s.
- The phrase "impulse of the particle at t=0 s" refers to the sudden change imparted right at the start — the particle goes from being at rest (implicit, since it starts exactly at the origin with no prior motion shown) to moving at 2 m/s.
- So Δv=vf−vi=2−0=2 m/s. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-12-FN1 markMCQQ.A ball of mass M moving with a velocity of 4 ms−1 collides with another ball of mass 2M moving in the same direction. If the coefficient of restitution between the two balls is 0.35 and the velocity of the heavier ball after collision is 2.9 ms−1, then the initial velocity of the heavier ball is (A) 3 ms−1 (B) 4 ms−1 (C) 6 ms−1 (D) 2 ms−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
This is a one-dimensional collision with a known coefficient of restitution and one unknown initial velocity plus one unknown final velocity — solve the two simultaneous equations (momentum conservation + Newton's restitution law) together. Answer: (D).
Concept and Intuition
A collision between two bodies always obeys two independent physical laws: (1) total momentum is conserved (no external horizontal force acts during the brief collision), and (2) the coefficient of restitution e relates the relative velocity of separation after collision to the relative velocity of approach before collision, e=velocity of approachvelocity of separation. Here we're told the lighter ball's initial speed (4 m/s) and the heavier ball's final speed (2.9 m/s), but not the lighter ball's final speed nor the heavier ball's initial speed — that's two unknowns, which is exactly what our two equations can solve for.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Set up variables. Let u1=4 m/s (initial velocity of mass M), u2= initial velocity of mass 2M (unknown, to find), v1= final velocity of M (unknown), v2=2.9 m/s (given final velocity of 2M). All velocities are along the same line (same direction, as stated).
- Momentum conservation:
Mu1+2Mu2=Mv1+2Mv2
4+2u2=v1+5.8⇒v1=2u2−1.8.(i)
- Restitution equation (separation speed =e× approach speed):
e=u1−u2v2−v1⇒0.35=4−u22.9−v1.(ii)
- Substitute (i) into (ii):
0.35(4−u2)=2.9−(2u2−1.8)=4.7−2u2
1.4−0.35u2=4.7−2u2 …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-14-AN1 markMCQQ.A stream of water flowing horizontally with a speed of 15 ms−1 gushes out of a tube of cross-sectional area 10−2 m2 and hits a vertical wall nearby. Assuming water does not rebound, The force exerted on the wall by the impact of water is (A) 2.25 N (B) 2.25×103 N (C) 1.5 N (D) 1.5×103 N
›Reveal solutionSolution
Force from a water jet hitting a wall (no rebound) equals the rate of momentum transfer, ρAv2; numerically this comes out to 2.25×103 N.
Concept and Intuition
When a stream of water hits a wall and does not bounce back, every bit of water arriving loses all its forward momentum. By Newton's second law in the impulse-momentum form, the force on the wall equals the rate at which momentum is destroyed, which is the mass flow rate times the velocity.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Mass flow rate of water: m˙=ρAv, where ρ=1000 kg/m3 (density of water), A=10−2 m2, v=15 ms−1.
- m˙=1000×10−2×15=150 kg/s.
- Since the water does not rebound, its momentum drops from mv to 0 upon impact, so the rate of momentum change (= force on water, and by Newton's third law, force on wall) is: …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-13-AN1 markMCQQ.A bullet fired from a gun is given a force (600−2×105t) newton, where 't' is in second. Force on the bullet becomes zero when it leaves the barrel. The average impulse imparted to the bullet is (A) 9 Ns (B) zero (C) 0.9 Ns (D) 1.8 Ns
›Reveal solutionSolution
Impulse is the time-integral of the force; integrating the given force profile from t=0 to the moment the force vanishes gives 0.9 Ns — option (C).
Concept and Intuition
Impulse equals the area under a force-vs-time graph, i.e. J=∫Fdt. Here the force decreases linearly with time and reaches zero exactly when the bullet leaves the barrel, so that instant is the natural upper limit of integration.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Find when the force becomes zero: 600−2×105t0=0⇒t0=2×105600=3×10−3 s.
- Impulse imparted while the bullet is in the barrel: J=∫0t0(600−2×105t)dt.
- Integrate: J=[600t−105t2]0t0.
- Evaluate: 600(3×10−3)=1.8; and 105(3×10−3)2=105×9×10−6=0.9.
- So J=1.8−0.9=0.9 Ns. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-19-AN1 markMCQQ.In a cricket match, bowler throws a ball of mass 0.2 kg with a speed of 72 kmph. The batsman deflected the ball by an angle of 450 without changing its initial speed. The impulse imparted to the ball is? (Cos 22.50=0.92) (A) 7.4 kg ms−1 (B) 8.2 kg ms−1 (C) 9.2 kg ms−1 (D) 8.4 kg ms−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
Using the impulse formula for a ball deflected by angle θ from its reverse path at unchanged speed, ∣Δp∣=2mvcos(θ/2), gives 7.4 kg·m/s.
Concept and Intuition
When a ball bounces off a bat and its speed is unchanged but its direction is turned through some angle relative to a direct "bounce straight back" path, the impulse (change in momentum) can be found geometrically: the initial and final momentum vectors have equal magnitude mv, and the angle between the final velocity and the reverse of the initial velocity is the given deflection angle θ=45∘. Using the isosceles-triangle (vector diagram) relation for two equal-magnitude vectors separated by angle (180∘−θ) from each other:
∣Δp∣2=2(mv)2(1−cos(180∘−θ))=2(mv)2(1+cosθ)=4(mv)2cos2(θ/2)
⟹∣Δp∣=2mvcos(θ/2)
Step-by-Step Solution
- Convert speed: v=72 kmph=72×185=20 ms−1.
- Mass m=0.2 kg, deflection angle θ=45∘, so θ/2=22.5∘, with cos22.5∘=0.92 (given).
- Apply the impulse formula: …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-21-FN1 markMCQQ.The linear momentum of a body of mass 8 kg is 24 kgms−1. If a constant force of 24 N acts on the body in the direction of motion of the body for a time of 3 s, then the increase in the kinetic energy of the body is (A) 480 J (B) 540 J (C) 270 J (D) 240 J
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests using impulse to find final momentum, then computing the change in kinetic energy; the answer is (B).
Concept and Intuition
When a constant force acts along the direction of motion, the impulse it delivers (F×t) adds directly to the existing momentum. Once you know initial and final momenta, kinetic energies follow from KE=2mp2 or 21mv2.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Initial momentum pi=24 kgm/s, mass m=8 kg, so initial velocity vi=mpi=824=3 m/s.
- Initial KE: KEi=21mvi2=21(8)(3)2=4×9=36 J.
- Impulse delivered by the 24 N force over 3 s: J=Ft=24×3=72 kgm/s.
- Final momentum: pf=pi+J=24+72=96 kgm/s, so final velocity vf=896=12 m/s.
- Final KE: KEf=21(8)(12)2=4×144=576 J. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-22-FN1 markMCQQ.Two balls each of mass 250 g moving in opposite directions each with a speed 16 ms−1 collide and rebound with the same speeds. The impulse imparted to one ball due to the other is (A) 4 kgms−1 (B) 16 kgms−1 (C) 8 kgms−1 (D) 2 kgms−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
Impulse on a ball equals its change in momentum; since velocity reverses direction, Δv=32 m/s, giving impulse 8 kgms−1.
Concept and Intuition
Impulse-momentum theorem: the impulse delivered to a ball equals its change in momentum, J=m(vf−vi). Rebounding at the same speed but reversed direction means the velocity doesn't just stop — it flips sign, so the change is twice the speed, not just the speed itself.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Take one ball's initial velocity as +16 m/s (before collision).
- After the elastic-like rebound, its velocity becomes −16 m/s (same speed, opposite direction).
- Change in velocity: Δv=(−16)−(+16)=−32 m/s, magnitude 32 m/s.
- Mass m=250 g=0.25 kg. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-23-AN1 markMCQQ.Water flowing through a pipe of area of cross-section 2×10−3 m2 hits a vertical wall horizontally with a velocity of 12 ms−1. If the water does not rebound after hitting the wall, then the force acting on the wall due to water is (A) 24 N (B) 144 N (C) 288 N (D) 72 N
›Reveal solutionSolution
Tests momentum flux of a fluid jet hitting a wall with no rebound. Answer: 288 N.
Concept and Intuition
When a steady stream of fluid strikes a surface and does not bounce back, the fluid's momentum along the direction of flow is annihilated at the wall. By Newton's second law applied to the fluid (rate of change of momentum = force), the wall must supply a force equal in magnitude to the rate at which momentum arrives — and by Newton's third law, the water pushes back on the wall with the same magnitude.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Mass flow rate of water: m˙=ρAv, where ρ=1000 kgm−3 is the density of water, A=2×10−3 m2 is the cross-sectional area, and v=12 ms−1 is the speed. m˙=1000×2×10−3×12=24 kgs−1 …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-24-FN1 markMCQQ.A disc of mass 0.2 kg is kept floating in air without falling by vertically firing bullets each of mass 0.05 kg on the disc at the rate of 10 bullets per every second. If the bullets rebound with the same speed, then the speed of each bullet is (Acceleration due to gravity =10 ms−2) (A) 2 m s−1 (B) 10 m s−1 (C) 20 m s−1 (D) 1 m s−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
The average force from the rebounding bullets must balance the disc's weight; each rebound transfers momentum 2mbv, and with 10 bullets/s this gives v=2 m/s.
Concept and Intuition
Even though bullets hit and bounce off individually (a series of discrete impacts), if enough of them strike per second, the time-averaged force they exert behaves like a continuous force (this is the same idea used for rocket thrust and for pressure from gas molecules). For a rebounding ("elastic", same-speed reversal) collision, each bullet's momentum changes by 2mbv (from +mbv to −mbv), and by Newton's third law the disc receives that momentum kick upward.
Step-by-Step Solution
- For the disc to float (stay in equilibrium), the average upward force from the bullets must equal its weight:
F=Mg=0.2×10=2 N.
- Each bullet's momentum changes from +mbv (incoming) to −mbv (rebounding at the same speed), a change of magnitude Δp=2mbv.
- With n=10 bullets striking per second, the average force delivered to the disc is …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-26-AN1 markMCQQ.If a body of mass 2 kg moving with initial velocity of 4 ms−1 is subjected to a force of 3 N for a time of 2 s normal to the direction of its initial velocity, then the resultant velocity of the body is (A) 7 ms−1 (B) 5 ms−1 (C) 2 ms−1 (D) 7.5 ms−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
A force applied perpendicular to a moving body's velocity adds a new independent velocity component; the two combine as a right-angle vector sum, giving 5 m/s.
Concept and Intuition
Force (and hence acceleration and impulse) components act independently along their own directions. A force perpendicular to the existing velocity does not change the original component's magnitude — it only adds a new component in its own direction. The two components then combine vectorially (Pythagoras) for the resultant speed.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Original velocity: v1=4 ms−1 (unchanged, since the force has no component along this direction).
- Impulse in the perpendicular direction: J=Ft=3×2=6 kgms−1.
- New perpendicular velocity component: v2=J/m=6/2=3 ms−1. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set ap-2024-05-17-AN1 markMCQQ.A man of mass 70 kg jumps to a height of 0.8 m from the ground, then the momentum transferred by the ground to man is (g=10 ms−2) (A) 280 kg ms−1 (B) 200 kg ms−1 (C) 560 kg ms−1 (D) 400 kg ms−1
›Reveal solutionSolution
Find the take-off speed needed to reach height 0.8 m using v=2gh, then the momentum imparted by the ground equals mv.
Concept and Intuition
To jump to a certain height, a person must leave the ground with just enough vertical speed that, under gravity alone, they rise to that height. By Newton's third law, the ground pushes back on the person with exactly the impulse needed to change their momentum from zero (standing) to mv (at the instant of leaving the ground).
Step-by-Step Solution
- Find the required take-off speed from v2=2gh: v=2×10×0.8=16=4 m/s.
- The man's momentum changes from 0 (before push-off) to mv (at lift-off).
- Impulse (momentum transferred) =mv−0=70×4=280 kg m/s. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-21-AN1 markMCQQ.A block of metal 4 kg is in rest on a frictionless surface. It was targeted by a jet releasing water of 2 kgs−1 at a speed of 10 ms−1. The acceleration of the block is (A) 10 ms−2 (B) 15 ms−2 (C) 20 ms−2 (D) 5 ms−2
›Reveal solutionSolution
A water jet hitting a block and splattering (not rebounding) exerts F=m˙v; dividing by the block's mass gives its acceleration, 5 ms−2.
Concept and Intuition
When a continuous stream of water strikes a surface and simply spreads out sideways (as opposed to bouncing straight back), each parcel of water loses all its forward momentum on impact. By Newton's second law in the form F=dtdp, the rate at which momentum is delivered to the block equals the force on it: F=m˙v, where m˙ is the mass flow rate and v its incoming speed.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Mass flow rate m˙=2 kgs−1, jet speed v=10 ms−1.
- Water does not bounce back (it "releases" onto/around the block), so momentum change per unit time =m˙v−0=m˙v.
- Force on block: F=m˙v=2×10=20 N. …
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