Question

Mathematically and in your own words describe the difference between impulse and momentum.  What is the relationship between them? In your discussion relate how this affects a bouncing object. Can you give an example of a bouncing object that would experience an elastic, inelastic, and perfectly inelastic collisions? Give an example when momentum is conserved and a situation when momentum is NOT conserved. Please write 7-10 complete sentences addressing these topics.

Answer 1

Impulse is force acting on an object for an interval of time and momentum is the mass times velocity of the object.

As per impulse - momentum theory, impulse is equal to change in momentum.

For a bouncing object, more its mass, more will be the impulse when striking with ground and then more will the momentum change. A super bouncy ball will have great change in momentum due to less contact time with the floor. This will be an elastic collision where both momentum and energy are conserved.

For inelastic collision, we can take air resistance into picture, when ball strikes the ground, it will not reach the same height as it was dropped from due to loss in energy and then momentum will not be conserved.

Remember that momentum will not be conserved if there is a friction or net external force acting.