Activities

Students investigate the impulse-momentum theorem using several models of linear collisions.

First, students examine an animation showing the collision of a ball with an unmovable wall. The animation shows the magnitude, direction, and duration of the force exerted on the ball by the wall.

Next, students examine simulations of inelastic collisions between two balls and two unmovable walls. Students can vary the initial velocity of each ball and observe the effects in each case. They see that identical initial velocities do not produce identical final velocities, and they hypothesize about some possible reasons for the difference.

Finally, students solve problems involving the impulse-momentum theorem.