Name ____ KEY _____________________________________ Date _________ Period ______
Conservation of Momentum
1.
What does it mean to say that momentum is conserved?
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2.
When a gun is fired, the shooter describes the sensation of the gun kicking. Explain this
in terms of momentum conservation.
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3.
Conservation of momentum states that momentum will not change unless acted
on by an outside force.
The gun launches a projectile with a certain amount of momentum. The gun
kicks back because of the equal and opposite momentum added to it.
If you throw a ball forward so that it gains 35 kg·m/s of momentum, how much
momentum do you gain?

Because momentum is conserved, you would gain 35 kg·m/s of momentum.
4.
Standing on an icy pond, you throw a 0.50 kg ball at 40. m/s. You move back at 0.40 m/s.
What is your mass?
5.
A 400 kg cannon fires a 10 kg cannonball at 20 m/s. If the cannon is on wheels, at what
speed does it move backward?
6.
Two children on ice skates start at rest and push off from each other. One has a mass of
30. kg and moves back at 2.0 m/sec. The other has a mass of 15 kg. What is the second
child’ peed?
7.
Saul stands on a skateboard at rest and throws a 1.2 kg rock at a speed of 10.0 m/sec. Saul
rolls back at 0.050 m/s. What is the combined mass of Saul and the skateboard?
8.
Floating through space, you throw a 3.55 kg hammer at 12.5 m/s. If you have a mass of
45.1 kg, at what speed do float backwards?