All Flashcards
What is the effect of an external force acting on a system?
The change in momentum of the system will equal the impulse of that force.
What happens when the net external force on a system is zero?
The total momentum of that system stays constant.
What is the effect of impulse on momentum?
Impulse causes a change in momentum.
What happens to momentum when there is zero net external force vs. nonzero net external force?
Zero Net External Force: Total momentum of the system stays constant. Nonzero Net External Force: Momentum is transferred between the system and its surroundings.
What are the differences between elastic and inelastic collisions?
Elastic Collision: Kinetic energy is conserved. Inelastic Collision: Kinetic energy is not conserved.
Define linear momentum.
A measure of an object's mass in motion, quantifying how much 'oomph' it has.
What is center-of-mass velocity?
The average velocity of a system of objects, treating the system as a single entity.
Define impulse.
The change in momentum of an object when the object is acted upon by a force for an interval of time. Mathematically, it's the integral of force with respect to time, but more simply, it is the product of the average force and the time interval for which it acts.
What is an isolated system in the context of momentum?
A system where no net external force acts, and thus the total momentum remains constant.
Define the Impulse-Momentum Theorem.
The change in a system's total momentum equals the impulse exerted on it from outside the system: