111Equation

Chapter (Next)
Section 1

Understanding inertia & Analysing momentum

Lesson 4
Learning outcomes
1. explain what inertia is
2. relate mass to inertia
3. give examples of situations involving inertia
4. suggest ways to reduce the negative effects of inertia
5. define the momentum of an object
6. define momentum as the product of mass and velocity
7. state the principle of conservation of momentum
8. describe the applications of conservation of momentum
9. solve problems involving momentum
A

Inertia

1. The inertia of an object is the tendency of the object to remain at rest, if it is at rest or of moving, to
continue its uniform motion in a straight line.
2. For example,
(a) In figure, when the bus moves forward suddenly, the feet of the
passenger are made to move forward. The inertia of his body tends
to remain at rest. The inertia of his body tends to remain at rest.
Hence, the passenger falls backward.
(b In figure, when the bus slows down suddenly, the feet of the
)
passenger are brought to rest. The inertia of his body tends to
continue moving forward. Hence, the passenger falls forward.
3. Newtons first law of motion states that if the body at rest, it will remain at rest, If the body is
moving, it keeps on moving at constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.
B

Inertia and mass

1. When the mass of an object increases, the inertia of the object increases.
2. For example,
(a) The pail with the sand is more difficult to start
swigging because of its greater mass. The
bigger the mass the greater its inertia.
Therefore, the pail with sand tends to be at rest.
(reluctance to move)
(b If both pails are swinging, the pail with sand
)
will swing for a longer period of time. This is
because bigger mass has bigger inertia, so the
pail will continue to be in motion.
reluctance to stop.

Application of Inertia

1 Drying wet umbrella

The umbrella is rotated and stopped suddenly. Water droplets on the
umbrella are removed because of the inertia of the droplets.
2 Pouring ketchup out the bottle
When the bottle is jerked quickly and stopped suddenly, the inertia of the
sauce causes the sauce to move downwards and out of the bottle.
3 Tightening the hammer head.
When the wooden handle is knocked on a hard surface, the hammer head's
large mass and large inertia will exhibit resistance to the change in its state
of motion. Therefore, it continues to move even though the handle has
stopped. In this way, the head can be tightened to the handle.
4 Running in a zig-zag pattern when chased by an elephant.
The inertia of an elephant is large due to its mass. This makes it difficult for
the elephant to change its direction suddenly.
5 Reducing the inertia of tankers.
Tankers should be divided into smaller tanks to reduce the effects of inertia
when they stop suddenly.
6 Reducing the movement of loads.
A steel structure should be placed between the driver's seat and the load at
the back of the lorry to prevent the load from being thrown forward.
7 Reducing injuries.
Air bags prevent the driver and passenger from hitting the dashboard,
steering wheel and mirrors during accidents.
D

Momentum

1. The momentum of an object is defined as the product of its mass and its velocity.
Momentum Mass Velocity
p mv
2. The SI unit for momentum is kg m s-1
3. Momentum is a vector quantity.
4. Example
(a) What is the momentum of a 650 kg car moving at 5 m s-1?
(b) The figure below shows two objects, J and K moving towards a wall.

Which object is easier to stop?

E

Principle of Conservation of Momentum

2

1. The principle of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum in the system is conserved
provided that no external force acts on the system.
Elastic collision

Inelastic collision

Two objects collide and move Two object collide and move
apart after a collision
together after a collision
Kinetic energy is conserved
Kinetic energy is not conserved
Total kinetic energy of objects Total kinetic energy of objects
before and after collision is before and after collision is
equal.
not equal.
Momentum is conserved
Total momentum of objects before and after collision is equal
Total energy of both objects is conserved
Formula
Formula
m1u1 m2u2 m1v1 m2v2
m1u1 m2u2 ( m1 m2 )v
F

Explosion

Two object move in opposite

direction after an explosion
Kinetic energy is not conserved
Total kinetic energy of objects
before and after collision is
not equal.

Formula
0 m1v1 m2v2

Application of Principle of Conservation of Momentum

1. Rocket
(a) A rocket carries fuel in the form of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen which
burns violently in the combustion chamber.
(b) The gases produced are forced out through the exhaust at high velocity.
(c) This creates a high momentum downwards and according to the principle of
conservation of momentum, the rocket gains a forward momentum, thus
moving upwards with a high velocity.
2. Jet engine
(a) A jet engine carries fuel in the form of kerosene and the
combustion of kerosene burns violently with compresses air
in the combustion chamber.
(b) The hot gases formed are forced out of the exhaust at high
velocity.
(c) The ejected high-speed exhaust gases create a backward
momentum. Based on the principle of conservation of
momentum, the backward momentum creates a forward momentum for the engine. The plane thus
flies forwards.

Try it yourself
1. Calculate the momentum of the following objects in kg m s-1.
(a) A tennis ball of mass 0.05 kg moving in a velocity of 90 km h-1.
(b) A soccer ball of mass 400 g moving in a velocity of 12 m s-1.
(c) A car of mass 900 kg moving in a velocity of 108 km h-1.
(d) A bullet of mass 20 g moving in a velocity of 200 m s-1.

2. The following diagrams show several collisions. In each case, determine the unknown values.
(a)

(b
)

(c)

(d
)

(e)

3. An object of 4 kg, which is moving with a velocity of 5 m s -1, collides with another object of mass
2 kg
, moving with a velocity of 2 m s -1 in the opposite direction. After the collision, the two objects
coalesce and move in the same direction. What is the final velocity of the two objects?

M2
with a mass of 2 kg, moving with a velocity of 5 m s -1 collides with another object
M1
-1
of mass 3 kg which is moving with a velocity of 2 m s in the same direction as
. After collision,

4. An object

M1

M2

-1

moves with a velocity of 3 m s in its original direction. What is the velocity of

collision?

M1

, after

5. Trolley P has a mass of 2 kg and trolley Q has a mass of 3 kg. Both trolleys are placed on a horizontal
surface. P is moving towards Q, which is at rest, with a constant velocity of v m s-1. After collision, P
and Q stick together and move together. What is the final velocity of the two trolleys after collision in
terms of v?

6. A bullet of 20 g is being fired from a rifle which weighs 3 kg. The rifle moves backwards with a
velocity of 0.2 m s-1, while the bullet moves with 30 m s -1 away from the rifle. What is the total
momentum of the rifle and the bullet (in kg m s-1) after the bullet is fired?

7. A girl of mass 30 kg and a boy of mass 50 kg stand on a smooth surface on a movable track. The boy
pushes the girl and the girl moves with a velocity of 0.5 m s -1. How fast does the boy travel in the
opposite direction?

8. A bullet of mass 20 g hits a target of mass 980 g and penetrates through it. At the time the bullet hits
the target, the two of them move with a velocity of 4.0 m s -1. Calculate the velocity of the bullet
before collision.

9. A bullet of mass 50 g is being fired from a rifle of mass M kg. After the shot is fired, the bullet travels
in a velocity of 50 m s-1 while the rifle moves backwards with a velocity of 1.0 m s -1. What is the
value of M?

10. A particle, P of mass 50 g moves in a velocity of v m s-1 collides with a particle, Q of mass 450 g.
Particle Q is initially at rest. After collision, both particles stick together and move with the same
velocity of 2.0 m s-1. What is the velocity, v before collision?

11. Diagram 1 shows a section of ticker tape when the tape is being pulled by a trolley of mass M. The
trolley moves and collides with another trolley which is at rest and has a mass of 1.5 kg. Both trolleys
stick together and move in the same velocity after collision.

Diagram 1

Determine the value of M.

12. A fisherman of mass 60 kg jump out from his little boat of mass 200 kg which is parked at a jetty. If
the fisherman jumps up out with a velocity of 3 m s-1, calculate the velocity of the boat.

13. A boy of mass 50 kg runs with a velocity of 5 m s -1 and jumps onto a trolley which is moving with a
velocity of 1.5 m s-1 in the same direction as the boy. If the mass of the trolley is 20 kg, what is the
final velocity of the trolley and the boy?

14. Diagram 2 shows a trolley explosion experiment. When the vertical pin is hammered, an
explosion occurs and both trolleys move in the opposite direction towards the wall. Both trolleys hit
the stopper at the same time.

Diagram 2

If the m ass of trolley A is 2 kg, what is the mass of trolley B?

15. Tick () the correct answer.

(a) In an elastic collision:
Total energy is conserved
Total momentum is conserved
Total kinetic energy is conserved
(b) In an inelastic collision
Total energy is conserved
Total momentum is conserved
Total kinetic energy is conserved
(c) In an explosion
Total energy is conserved
Total momentum is conserved
Total kinetic energy is conserved

16. When the mass of an object decreases,

A the energy of the object increases
B the acceleration of the object increases

C the velocity of the object decreases

D the inertia of the object decreases

17. The figure at the right shows an oil tanker in motion. The tanker takes five to ten kilometres to stop in
an emergency.

This situation happens due to

A low resistance between the tanker and sea water
B strong current
C inertia of the tanker
D large force acting on the tanker

18. The figure shows two boys playing on swings. The mass of the first
boy is 50 kg and the second is 30 kg.
If the same magnitude of force is applied on both boys, which of them
will be able to swing easily from rest?
A The 30 kg boy
B The 50 kg boy
C No difference between two

19. The figure below shows the conditions of a boy carry two different pails. The boy can carry and move
an empty pail easily. When the pail is fully filled with water, he faces difficulty to carry and move the
pail.
This is because the empty pail has
A a smaller inertia
B a smaller resistance
C a smaller friction to the surface
D a smaller momentum

20. If you are sitting in a car, what will happen to you if the car suddenly accelerates?
A Remain stationary

B Move up vertically

Surge forward

D Fall backward

21. Momentum can be defined as

A
B

mass
mass

displacement
velocity

mass

acceleration

D
weight displacement

22. In an elastic collision, the following is conserved except

A total energy
B total potential energy

C total momentum
D total kinetic energy

23. Calculate the momentum of a 20 000 kg aeroplane moving with velocity of 200 m s-1.
A 40 000 kg m s-1
B 80 000 kg m s-1

C 400 000 kg m s-1

D 4 000 000 kg m s-1

24. A bullet with mass of 20 g is fired from a 3 kg rifle with a velocity of 250 m s -1. What is the total
momentum of the bullet and the rifle after explosion?

A 750 kg m s-1

B 60 kg m s-1

C 0 kg m s-1

-5 kg m s-1

25. A 1000 kg car travelling at 15 m s -1 collides with a 100 kg motorcycle which is at rest. After the
collision, both the car and motorcycle move together. What is their velocity after the collision?
A 1.50 m s-1

B 13.64 m s-1

C 136.30 m s-1

150.00 m s-1

26. Car A of mass 600 kg moving at 10 m s-1 collides with car B of mass 1000 kg moving in the opposite
direction. If both car move together after the accident at 4 m s -1 in the direction of car B, find the
initial velocity of car B.
A 7.0m s-1

B -10.0 m s-1

C -12.4 m s-1

14.8 m s-1

Past year question

1. MRSM 2009 Paper 1 Question 5
Diagram 1.1 shows a frog of mass 200 g on a leaf of mass 50 g on the surface of a pond.
Diagram 1.2 shows the frog leaping way from the leaf with a velocity of 5 m s-1.

Diagram 1.1
What is the recoil velocity of the leaf?

Diagram 1.2

A - 0.05 m s-1

C - 5.00 m s-1

B - 0.20 m s-1

- 20.00 m s-1

2. MRSM 2009 Paper 1 Question 6

Which of the following statements will not reduce the negative effect of inertia for a car?
A Using the air bag system
B Using bumpers of hard material
C Fixing a headrest at the seat
D Wearing a seatbelt
3. MRSM 2010 Paper 1 Question 5
Diagram 3 shows a Sumo wrestler with a mass of 350 kg.

Diagram 3
What is the advantage of the wrestler being heavy?
A He is more stable
B He has a large gravity
C He has a large momentum
D He will exert a large impulsive force on impact
4. MRSM 2011 Paper 1 Question 5
Diagram 4 shows two cars colliding

Diagram 4
Which of following concepts explains the situation above?
A Principle of conservation of momentum
B Principle of conservation of energy
C Equilibrium of Forces
D Inertia
5. MRSM 2012 Paper 1 Question 5
Diagram 5 shows two cars colliding
9

Diagram 5
Which physical quantity is conserved after collision?
A Velocity

Momentum

Kinetic energy

D Impulsive force

6. MRSM 2013 Paper 1 Question 7

Which of the following vehicles takes the longest time to start moving?
A

C
mass = 750 kg

mass = 12 000 kg

mass = 250 kg
D

mass = 5 000 kg

7. MRSM 2014 Paper 1 Question 8

Diagram 7.1 shows a toy car A moving at velocity, u while toy car B is at rest. After collision both toy
cars move together at velocity, v as shown in Diagram 7.2 Both car have the same mass.
u

Toy car A

Toy car B
Toy car A
Toy car B
Diagram 7.1
Diagram 7.2
Which statement is correct?
A The collision is an elastic collision
B The total momentum before and after collision are the same
C The total kinetic energy before and after the collision are the same
D The momentum of each toy car before and after collision are the same.
8. SBP 2009 Paper 1 Question 5
Diagram 8 shows trolley A and B of the same mass on a frictionless plane. Trolley A moves and
collides with the stationary trolley B.

Diagram 8
Which of the following statements is true?
A The collision is an elastic collision
B Both trolleys do not undergo changes in momentum
C The total momentum before and after the collision is the same
D The total kinetic energy before and after the collision is conserved
9. SBP 2010 Paper 1 Question 7

10

Diagram 9 shows a ticker tape that was obtained from an experiment by using trolley A of mass 2 kg
and a trolley B. Trolley A was released from one end of platform so that it moves downwards and
collides with the stationary trolley B. After the collision they stick and move together. What is the
mass of trolley B?

Diagram 9
A 0.5 kg

B 1.0 kg

C 1.5 kg

D 2.0 kg

10. SBP 2011 Paper 1 Question 8

Diagram 10 shows two trolleys, M and N of the same mass before and after collision.

Diagram 10
Which is true about u and v?
A

vu

vu

1
v u
2

v 2u

11. SBP 2011 Paper 1 Question 11

Diagram 11 shows two students skating towards P.

Diagram 11
What happens to the girl when the boy releases her hand?
A Stays stationary

Moves towards P

C Moves towards Q

12. SBP 2012 Paper 1 Question 5

Diagram 12(a) shows an empty bottle rolling when a train started to move forward. Diagram 12(b)
shows the same empty bottle rolling in the opposite direction when the train stopped suddenly.

Diagram 12(a)

Diagram 12(b)

This situation is due to

A Inertia

B Impulse

C Acceleration

11

D Impulsive force

13. SBP 2012 Paper 1 Question 6

Which of the following will produce the highest common velocity, v after collision? The trolleys are
identical and of the same initial velocity.
Before collision

After collision

14. SBP 2013 Paper 1 Question 6

Diagram 14 shows a man jumping out of a boat onto a jetty. he noticed that the boat moves backwards
as he jumped.

Diagram 14
Which of the following physics concepts is the best to explain the situation in Diagram 14?
A Inertia
B Impulsive force

C Principle of conservation of energy

D Principle of conservation of momentum

15. SBP 2014 Paper 1 Question 4

Diagram 15 shows the fireman holding the hose needs the support of another fireman so that he does
not fall backward, when water rushes out of hose with a very high speed and volume.

Diagram 15
Which principle explains the situation above?
A Pascal principle
B Bernoulli principle

C Principle of conservation of energy

D Principle of conservation of momentum

12

16. SPM 2008 Paper 1 Question 6

Diagram 16 shows two identical balls, P and Q, moving towards each other with a velocity of v and
2v respectively.
The collision between the two balls is an elastic collision.

Diagram 16
Which statement is correct about the elastic collision?
A The momentum of ball P before the collision is equal to the momentum of ball Q before the
collision
B The total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision
C The kinetic energy of ball P before collision is equal to the kinetic energy of ball Q before the
collision
D The total kinetic energy before the collision is not equal to the total kinetic energy after the
collision.
17. SPM 2009 Paper 1 Question 5
Diagram 17 shows the position of a plate before and after the table cloth is snatched away.

Diagram 17
The plate remains stationary due to
A Inertia

B impulse

C momentum

D linear motion

18. SPM 2009 Paper 1 Question 11

A body stays stationary, or continues to move with a uniform velocity, unless there is an external force
that changes its state of motion.
Which law is explained by the above statement?
A Newtons first law of motion
B Newtons second law of motion
C Newtons third law of motion

19. SPM 2010 Paper 1 Question 4

Diagram 19 shows two identical wooden blocks, R and S, placed on trolleys P and Q respectively.
13

Diagram 19
What happens to the wooden blocks R and S when trolley P collides with the stationary trolley Q?
A
B
C
D

R
Pushed to the right
Pushed to the right
Pushed to the left
Pushed to the left

S
Pushed to the right
Pushed to the left
Pushed to the left
Pushed to the right

20. SPM 2010 Paper 1 Question 10

In which situation can the principle of conservation of momentum be applied?
A

21. SPM 2011 Paper 1 Question 5

Diagram 21 shows three identical coins, P, Q and R, at rest on a horizontal plane.

Diagram 21
What will happen when P collides with Q?
A
B
C
D

P
Moves
Stationary
Moves
Moves

Q
Stationary
Stationary
Moves
Stationary

22. SPM 2012 Paper 1 Question 5

14

R
Stationary
Moves
Stationary
Moves

Which phenomenon shows the effect of inertia?

A

23. SPM 2012 Paper 1 Question 7

Diagram 23 shows two trolleys before and after collision.

Diagram 23
What is the velocity of both trolleys after collision?
A 0.60 m s-1

B 0.83 m s-1

C 1.20 m s-1

24. SPM 2014 Paper 1 Question 4

Diagram 24 shows a cat chasing a rat.

Diagram 24
The inertia of the cat is bigger than the rat because
A the size of the cat is bigger than the rate
B the mass of the cat is bigger than the rat
C the length of the cat it more than rat
D the height of the cat is more than the rat

15

D 2.00 m s-1