Title: Review of Lecture 9
1Review of Lecture 9
2Review of Lecture 9
3Collisions
- We certainly have an intuitive feel for what the
word collision means, but what is the specific
definition given to a collision in physics? - A collision is an isolated event in which two or
more bodies (the colliding bodies) exert
relatively strong forces on each other for a
relatively short time
4Collisions
- An interesting point to note is that the
definition doesnt necessarily require the bodies
to actually make contact a near miss (near
enough so that there are relatively strong
forces involved) will suffice
5Collisions
- To analyze a collision we have to pay attention
to the 3 parts of a collision - Before
- During
- After
6Collisions
- By using knowledge of various conservation laws,
and looking at the system of particles before,
during and after the collision, physicists can
deduce much about what is going on in the system
7Impulse Linear Momentum
- Lets start by examining a head-on collision
between just two bodies of different masses - We know that there will be a pair of 3rd law
forces involved the force from body 1 on body 2
and vice versa the force from body 2 on body 1 - And of course we know that these forces will be
equal in magnitude but opposite in direction - The forces are therefore F(t) and -F(t)
8Impulse Linear Momentum
- These forces will change the linear momentum of
the bodies the amount of change will depend on
average value of the force as well as how long
the force acts on the body (e.g., ?t)
9Impulse Linear Momentum
- To state this qualitatively, lets go back to
Newtons 2nd law in the form of
10Impulse Linear Momentum
- Lets see what is happening to object R (on the
right)
11Impulse Linear Momentum
- We can rearrange the previous equation a bit to
getwhere F(t) is a time varying force as
shown in the following graph
12Impulse Linear Momentum
- If we now integrate over the interval ?t we will
get - The left side evaluates to pf pi which is
just the change in linear momentum
13Impulse Linear Momentum
- The right side is a measure of the strength as
well as the duration of the collision force and
is defined as the impulse J of the collision
(not to be confused with the SI units of joules)
14Impulse Linear Momentum
- We can see from equation 10-3 that the impulse is
simply the area under the force curve during the
interval in question - We can also see that
- This is called the impulse linear momentum
theorem
15Impulse Linear Momentum
- We can see that the impulse is just the area
under the time-varying force curve over the time
interval in question - If we take the average value of the force
instead, we will get the same result for the
impulse
16Impulse Linear Momentum
- We can see that in the plot to the right
17Impulse Linear Momentum
18Series of Collisions
- What happens when there are multiple collisions
to consider? - Lets imagine an object that is securely bolted
down so it cant move and is continuously pelted
with a steady stream of projectiles
19Series of Collisions
- Each projectile has a mass of m and is moving at
velocity v along the x axis (so we will drop the
vector arrows and remember that we are talking
about what is happening only along the x axis) - The linear momentum of each projectile is
therefore mv lets also suppose that n
projectiles arrive in an interval of ?t
20Series of Collisions
- As each projectile hits (and is absorbed by) the
mass, the change in the projectiles linear
momentum is ?p thus the total change in linear
momentum during the interval ?t is n ?p
21Series of Collisions
- The total impulse on the target is the same
magnitude but opposite in direction to the change
in linear momentum thus - But we also know that
22Series of Collisions
- This leads us to
- So now we have the average force in terms of the
rate at which projectiles collide with the target
(n/?t) and each projectiles change in velocity
(?v)
23Series of Collisions
- In the time interval ?t, we also know that an
amount of mass ?m nm collides with the target - Thus our equation for the average force finally
turns out to be
24Series of Collisions
- Assuming that each projectile stops upon impact,
we know that - In this case the average force is
25Series of Collisions
- Suppose instead that each projectile rebounds
(bounces directly back) upon impact in this
case we have - In this case the average force is
26Series of Collisions
27Momentum Kinetic Energyin Collisions
- If we have a system where two bodies collide,
then there must be some kinetic energy (and
therefore linear momentum) present - During the collision, the kinetic energy and
linear momentum of each body is changed by the
impulse from the other body
28Momentum Kinetic Energyin Collisions
- We define two different kinds of collisions
- An elastic collision is one where the total
kinetic energy of the system is conserved - An inelastic collision is one where the total
kinetic energy is not conserved - A collision is not necessarily completely elastic
or completely inelastic most are in fact
somewhere in between - However a completely inelastic collision is one
where the two bodies end up sticking together
29Momentum Kinetic Energyin Collisions
- For any kind of collision however, linear
momentum must be preserved - This is because in a closed, isolated system, the
total linear moment cannot change without the
presence of an external force (and the forces
involved in a collision are internal to the
system not external)
30Momentum Kinetic Energyin Collisions
- This does not mean that the linear momentum of
the various colliding bodies cannot change - The linear momentum of each body involved in the
collision may indeed change, but the total linear
momentum of the system cannot change
31Inelastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Here we have the before and after pictures of
an inelastic collision in one dimension
32Inelastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- From the rule that total linear momentum must be
preserved, we know that - Given that this is, by definition, a
1-dimensional problem we can drop the arrows
33Inelastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Knowing that p mv, we can also rewrite our
equation (10-16) as - Thus if we know the masses and initial velocities
and one of the final velocities then we can
compute the other final velocity
34Completely Inelastic Collisionin One Dimension
- Here we again have the before and after
pictures but this time we have a completely
inelastic collision - The body m2 happens to be at rest initially (it
is therefore called the target)
35Completely Inelastic Collisionin One Dimension
- In light of the new situation, we can rewrite our
previous equation (10-16) asorwhere V is
the velocity of the stuck-together masses after
the collision
36Completely Inelastic Collisionin One Dimension
- Note that because the ratiothe value of V
must always be less than v1,i
37Velocity of theCenter of Mass
- In a closed, isolated system we know that the
velocity of the center of mass cannot change
why? - Only external forces can change the velocity of
the center of mass and, by definition, an
isolated system has no forces acting on it
38Velocity of theCenter of Mass
- As a result, we know that the total momentum of
our system is the same as the momentum of the
center of mass thus - Because total linear momentum is conserved during
a collision, we can also state that
39Velocity of theCenter of Mass
- Substituting the above into the previous equation
gives us -
- But we can see that the right side of the
equation is constant, therefore we have proved
that Vcom is constant in a closed, isolated
system
40Velocity of theCenter of Mass
- The figure on the right shows a series of freeze
frames which tracks the velocity of the center
of mass in a completely inelastic collision
41Velocity of theCenter of Mass
- The target (m2) initially has no momentum, so the
total momentum of the system is just that of the
projectile (m1)
42Velocity of theCenter of Mass
- After the collision, the two bodies stick
together, so their combined velocity is
43Velocity of theCenter of Mass
- Checkpoint 3
- Sample Problem 10-2
44Sample Problem 10-2
- For many years ballistic pendulums were used to
determine the velocity v of a rifle bullet - Let M 5.4 kg,m 9.5 g andh 6.3 cm
45Sample Problem 10-2
- This simple mechanism depended on conservation of
linear momentum as well as conservation of
mechanical energy in order to allow an accurate
determination of the bullets speed
46Sample Problem 10-2
- We begin by recognizing the fact that while
mechanical energy is not conserved during the
bullet/block collision, linear momentum is
conserved - Why is this true?
We are assuming here that no pieces of the
block go flying off when the bullet hits. If they
did, we would have to account for their momentum
47Sample Problem 10-2
- Using conservation of linear momentum we
havewhere V is the velocity of the block of
wood immediately after the collision, v is the
velocity of the bullet before the collision, and
m and M are the masses of the bullet and block
respectively
48Sample Problem 10-2
- Thats nice, but since we dont know v we cant
calculate V - However we do know h (the height the block rose
due to the collision) - We also know that the height the block rises (h)
is related to the kinetic energy just after the
collision mechanical energy is conserved once
the collision is over
49Sample Problem 10-2
- So we have
- Substituting V from the previous equation we get
50Sample Problem 10-2
- Plugging in the values we get
- We will use a ballistic pendulum in one of our
labs (no rifles allowed however)
51Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Now lets look at what happens in an elastic
collision (even though we know that most
collisions are inelastic to some degree) - We know from the definition that an elastic
collision is one where the total kinetic energy
of the system is conserved thus - Total kinetic energy before the collision Total
kinetic energy after the collision
52Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Having said that, it is not true that the kinetic
energy of each body involved in the collision
must remain the same before vs. after the
collision - In fact (depending on the nature of the
collision) the final kinetic energies of the
participating bodies may be quite different from
their initial kinetic energies
53Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Lets take billiard balls as a reasonable
approximation of an elastic collision - We know that in a head-on collision, the kinetic
energy of the cue ball may be nearly entirely
transmitted to the target ball - We also know that if the collision is not
head-on, then a more complicated interaction
takes place as both balls end up with velocities
in different directions
54Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- The figure below shows two particles that are
involved in an elastic collision we see the
before and after pictures
55Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- The target initially was at rest, however after
the collision both objects have some velocity in
the positive x direction
56Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Assuming the system is closed and isolated, we
know that linear momentum is conserved thus we
get - And because kinetic energy is conserved, we also
know that
57Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Assuming that we know the masses and the initial
velocities, we then have two equations and two
unknowns (v1,f and v2,f) - Rearranging the first equation we get
58Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- And rearranging the 2nd equation a little give us
59Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Plugging in the value for m2v2,f from the 1st
equation into the 2nd equation and turning the
crank a while results in
60Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Now lets look at these results for a minute
- We can see that v2,f must always be positive
- But the same cannot be said for v1,f the final
velocity of body 1 may be positive or negative
depending on the relative sizes of masses m1 and
m2
61Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Case 1 m1 m2 Equal masses
- In this case you can see that v1,f will be zero
- What happens is that all of the kinetic energy of
the first body is transferred to the 2nd body
(note that v2,f v1,i which must be true if KE
is conserved)
62Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Case 2 m1 ltlt m2 Massive target (golf ball
hits a cannon ball) - In this case you can see that v1,f will be
negative (the body rebounds from the collision)
and v1,f ? - v1,i - And v2,f ? (2m1/m2)v1,i which will be a very
small number
63Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Case 3 m1 gtgt m2 Massive projectile (cannon
ball hits a golf ball) - In this case you can see that v1,f will be
positive (the projectile continues forward) and
v1,f ? v1,i - And v2,f ? 2v1,i (the target leaves at twice the
initial velocity of the projectile)
64Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Why does the target in the 3rd case leave at
twice the initial velocity of the projectile? - Lets go back to the opposite case where the
light projectile hit the massive target - In that case the velocity of the projectile
changed from v to v for a ?v -2v (for a net
change in velocity of 2v)
65Elastic Collisions inOne Dimension
- Here we have the opposite case the massive
projectile hits the light target and we get a
corresponding ?v 2v this time from an initial
velocity of zero to 2v (again for a net change in
velocity of 2v)
66Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- In the previous examples we assumed that the
initial velocity of the target was zero but
that of course doesnt always have to be the case - Now lets look at what happens if the target is
moving when the collision occurs
67Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- In the figure below we have two bodies that are
moving towards each other for a head-on collision
68Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- Conservation of linear momentum tells us
thatand from conservation of KE we get
69Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- We rearrange the 1st equation asand the 2nd
as
70Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- Do the substitution and turn the crank for a
while you will eventually get
71Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- Note that these equations are symmetric with
respect to the subscripts they can be swapped
and the same equations will result
72Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- You should also convince yourself that if you set
v2,i 0, you will get back the equations you saw
previously
73Elastic Collisions with aMoving Target
- Checkpoint 4
- Sample Problem 10-4
74Sample Problem 10-4
- Sphere 1 with mass m1 30 g is pulled back to a
height h1 8.0 cm and released from rest
75Sample Problem 10-4
- Sphere 1 then has an elastic collision with
sphere 2 (mass m2 75 g) - What is the velocity v1,f of sphere 1 immediately
after the collision?
76Sample Problem 10-4
- We will attack this as two problems
- The descent of sphere 1, and
- The collision with sphere 2
- We need to know the initial collision velocity of
sphere 1 but we know how to do that using
energy considerations
77Sample Problem 10-4
- We know that the potential energy of sphere 1
when released will equal the kinetic energy at
the bottom of the swing (via conservation of
kinetic energy) - Using that relationship we get
78Sample Problem 10-4
- Solving for v1,i we get
- Now that we know v1,i we can move on to the 2nd
part of the problem an elastic collision
between unequal masses with the target mass
(sphere 2) initially at rest
79Sample Problem 10-4
- We assume that our system is isolated and closed,
which allows us to use equation 10-30 to find the
velocity of sphere 1 just after the collision
80Sample Problem 10-4
- Plugging in the values we get
- So from this we can see that sphere 1 moves to
the left after the collision (e.g., it rebounds)
which makes sense given the higher mass of
sphere 2
81Collisions in Two Dimensions
- So far we have dealt with situations where the
two objects collide head-on - When that is not the case, the final velocities
will not be along the initial centerline of the
masses
82Collisions in Two Dimensions
- The same conservation rules still apply however
so we know that linear momentum must be conserved
thus - If the collision is also elastic (which wont
always be the case of course) we also have
83Collisions in Two Dimensions
- Because this is a 2-dimensional collision, we
know that we will have to break the momentum
equation down into its vector components - So for the x axis we have
84Collisions in Two Dimensions
- Similarly, for the y axis we have
- Note that we really are taking the absolute value
of ?1 here, so we need to account for that by
flipping the sign of this term
85Collisions in Two Dimensions
- Again because we are dealing with an elastic
collision, we can deal with just the speeds of
the particles in the kinetic energy equation
which results in
86Collisions in Two Dimensions
- So at this point we have three equations in seven
variables 2 masses (m1 and m2), 3 speeds (v1,i,
v1,f, v2,f), and 2 angles (?1 and ?2) - If we know any four of these variables, then we
can solve for the other three
87Collisions in Two Dimensions
- Checkpoint 5
- Sample Problem 10-5
88Sample Problem 10-5
- Here we have two skaters Alfred(mA 83 kg
moving with speed vA 6.2 km/h east) and Barbara
(mB 55 kg moving at vB 8.7 km/h north)
89Sample Problem 10-5
- Alfred and Barbara experience an inelastic
collision, e.g., they stick together after impact - What is the velocity of the couple after they
collide?
90Sample Problem 10-5
- We know that Pi Pf so we can express that
as - Solving for V we get
91Sample Problem 10-5
- If you have a vector-capable calculator, you can
now solve directly for V - For those of us who dont have such a calculator,
we can go back to the first equation and break it
down into components along the two axis knowing
that momentum must be conserved along each of the
axis
92Sample Problem 10-5
- So for the x axis we getand correspondingly
for the y axis we get
93Sample Problem 10-5
- We now have two equations and two unknowns, so
after the appropriate algebra we get
94Sample Problem 10-5
- We can now take that value for ? and plug it back
into our formula for the y axis (rearranged a
bit) and get
95Sample Problem 10-5
- What is the velocity of the center of mass of the
two skaters before as well as after the collision?
96Sample Problem 10-5
- The velocity vcom of the COM after the collision
is the value we just calculated 4.9 km/h at an
angle ? 40 - The velocity vcom of the COM before the
collision is exactly the same (since there are no
external forces)
97Next Class
- Homework Problems Chapter 106, 8, 26, 36, 38,
48, - Read sections Chapter 11