Question:
A woman throws an object of mass 500 g with a speed of 25 m/s.
(a) what is the impulse imparted to the object?
(b) if the object hits a wall and rebounds with half the original speed, what is the change in momentum of the object?
Solution:
(a) Mass of the object, m = 500 g = 0.5 kg
u = 0
v = 25 m/s
Impulse is given as:
Substituting the values, we get impulse = 12.5 N.s
b) m = 0.5 kg
u = +25 m/s
v = -25/2 m/s
∆p = m(v – u) = -18.75 N.s