3.5 Newton's Laws of Motion & Momentum Flashcards
what is Newton’s first law of motion?
a body will remain at rest or will continue to be at a constant velocity in a straight line unless an external force acts on it
what is Newton’s second law of motion?
the resultant force acting on an object is proportional to the rate of change of momentum of the object and the momentum change takes place in the direction of the force
f = ma when the force is constant, otherwise
resultant force = Δp / Δt
what is Newton’s third law of motion?
if object A exerts a force on object B, then object B will exert an equal and opposite force on A (every action has an equal and opposite reaction)
what are the requirements for Newton’s third law of motion?
- the forces involved must be of the same type
- the forces involved must be acting in opposite directions on different objects
what is the formula for linear momentum?
p = mv
where m is the mass of the body
and v is the velocity of the body
is momentum vector or scalar?
vector
what is the principle of conservation of momentum?
the principle of conservation of momentum is the total momentum before a collision is always equal to the total momentum after the collision, provided that no external forces are involved
m1v1 = m2v2
what is the formula for resultant force generally?
F = Δp / Δt (f = ma is a special case of this equation)
what is impulse of a force? and what is the formula?
- impulse is the change of momentum
- impulse (Δp) = force x Δt
how do you get to f = ma from F = Δp / Δt ?
F = Δp / Δt
= Δmv / Δt
= mΔv / Δt
= ma
what is the area under a force-time graph equal to?
impulse
how do crumple zones act as a safety feature in cars?
- crumple zones are areas at the front and rear of a car that are designed to crumple on impact
- they increase the time taken for the car to slow down (Δt increases which reduces the force acting on passengers)
- absorb some of the car’s kinetic energy when they deform that would have otherwise been transferred to the passengers
how do airbags act as a safety feature in cars?
- airbags are cushions in the dashboard that inflate very quickly on collision
- they protect passengers by making them slow down more gradually (Δt increases which reduces the force acting on passengers)
- they stop the passengers from hitting the wheel or dashboard etc. during a crash
how do seat belts act as a safety feature in cars?
- seat belts are designed to stretch slightly
- they protect passengers by stopping them from being thrown from their seats
- absorbing some of the wearer’s kinetic energy by stretching
- increasing the time that the wearer comes to a stop over (Δt increases which reduces the force acting on passengers) again, by stretching
what are the units of impulse?
Ns (think of the formula)