Mission MC4 Force, Impulse, and Momentum Change

Mission MC4 focuses on a comparison of the relative magnitude of the force, the impulse and the momentum change experienced by two interacting objects. The mission consists of 32 questions organized into 8 Question Groups. You must answer one question from each Question Group to complete the mission. The learning outcomes for this mission are ...

• The student should be able to extend the law of action-reaction in order to compare the collision forces, impulses and the momentum changes of two colliding objects.
• The student should be able to explain the meaning of the law of momentum conservation and to describe when the law does and does not apply to a collision.

If you are not familiar with this topic, then you should first learn about the topic using our written Tutorial or our Video Tutorial:
 

• In a collision between two objects of unequal mass, how do the forces on the individual objects compare to each other?
• In a collision between two objects of unequal mass, how do the impulses and momentum changes experienced by the individual objects compare to each other?
• When it comes to collisions, what is an external force?
• When it comes to collisions, what is an isolated system?
• Under what conditions is momentum conserved in a collision?
• What is meant by saying that momentum is conserved in a collision?
• How can the momentum of a system of two objects be determined?

Action-Reaction and the Law of Momentum Conservation