a ball of mass 5.0kg hits a smooth vertical wall normally with a speed of 2m-1 and rebounds with the same speed. Determine the impulse experienced by the ba...
a ball of mass 5.0kg hits a smooth vertical wall normally with a speed of 2m-1 and rebounds with the same speed. Determine the impulse experienced by the ball
Answer Details
The impulse experienced by an object is equal to the change in momentum of the object. Momentum is defined as the product of mass and velocity, i.e., p=mv. When the ball hits the wall, it experiences an impulse that causes a change in its momentum. Initially, the ball is moving towards the wall with a velocity of 2m/s, and the velocity changes direction after the collision, so the final velocity is -2m/s.
The change in velocity, Δv = (-2) - (2) = -4m/s.
Using the formula for impulse, J = Δp = mΔv, we can calculate the impulse experienced by the ball:
J = 5.0kg × (-4m/s) = -20.0kgm/s.
Therefore, the impulse experienced by the ball is 20.0 kgm/s. Note that the negative sign indicates that the impulse is in the opposite direction to the initial velocity of the ball.