PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Linear Momentum · Linear Momentum
Problem
Four identical steel balls, labeled D, E, F, and G, roll without friction along the same straight track. Immediately after they leave a launcher, their momenta are represented by arrows drawn on a sheet of graph paper:
• Ball D: an arrow 3 cm long pointing to the right.
• Ball E: an arrow 5 cm long pointing to the left.
• Ball F: an arrow 2 cm long pointing to the right.
• Ball G: an arrow 5 cm long pointing to the right.
(Each centimeter of arrow length corresponds to 0.10 N·s of momentum magnitude.)
(a) Identify any pair of balls that have equal momentum magnitude.
(b) Rank the four balls from the one with the greatest positive momentum to the one with the most negative momentum. If any are tied, indicate the tie.
(c) Explain how both the length and the orientation of each arrow determine your answers in parts (a) and (b).