Name:
Class:
Date:
MOMENTUM WORD PROBLEMS (A)
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Momentum is a measure of how hard it is to stop a moving object, and it is the product of an object’s
mass and velocity. The equation for momentum is shown below:
p=m×v
Where… p = momentum (in kg·m/s), m = mass (in kg), and v = velocity (in m/s)
•
You can rearrange the equation to solve for velocity or mass. Use a formula triangle:
𝐯 = p
𝐩
𝐩
𝐦 = 𝐦
𝐯
m
v
NOTE: To earn full marks when solving science word problems, you must SHOW YOUR WORK:
Formula
Rough work
Final answer rounded to the
correct significant figures
Correct units
Sample Problem:
If a 4.5 kg bowling ball is rolled down the bowling lane with a velocity of 6.00 m/s, what is its momentum?
Known:
mass = 4.5 kg
velocity = 6.00 m/s
Unknown:
momentum = ?
p=mxv
p = 4.5 kg × 6.00 m/s
p = 27.0 kg·m/s
1. Calculate the momentum of a 0.145 kg baseball being thrown at a speed of 40.0 m/s.
2. If a 6.0 kg bowling ball is rolled with a velocity of 3.5 m/s, what is the momentum of the ball?
3. If an object has a velocity of 8.0 m/s and a momentum of 40.00 kg·m/s, what is the object’s mass?
4. A bicycle has a momentum of 25.00 kg·m/s and a velocity of 2.5 m/s. What is the bicycle’s mass?
5. What is the velocity of a 0.5 kg ball that has a momentum of 3.00 kg·m/s?
6. An 8000.0 kg truck starts off from rest and reaches a velocity of 18.0 m/s in 6.00 seconds. What is the
truck’s acceleration and how much momentum does it have after it has reached this final velocity?
7. An 80.0 kg defensive tackle is moving at 5.0 m/s in a straight line to tackle a running back who has a
mass of 50.0 kg. What must the running back’s velocity be in order to equal the tackle’s momentum?
8. (BE CAREFUL) A 15.0 kg medicine ball is thrown at a velocity of 10.0 m/s to a 60.0 kg person who is a
rest on ice. The person catches the ball and immediately slides across the ice. Assume that
momentum is conserved and there is no friction. Calculate the velocity of the person AND THE BALL.