Can a heavy object have a small momentum? Give two examples and explain.
Momentum is directly related to both mass and velocity. The size of momentum is large or small in relation to its size and speed. If a light object is moving extremely fast, like a tiny chihuahua running at top speed, its momentum will be large in terms of its small size, but in the scheme of things it will not be that big. If the little dog weighed 0.5 pounds and was running at 5 mph (which is probably really fast for a chihuahua), it's momentum would still only be 2.5. That's not very large. If that same chihuahua was dropped out of a plan however (and fell at 125 miles per hour) it's momentum would be 62.5. Although this momentum is much larger than when the dog was running, it is still not that big. The same thing goes heavier objects. It is nearly impossible for them to have small momentums. When mass is so large, it doesn't matter how slow the object is moving, their momentum is still larger than fast moving light objects. If there was a cement truck (75,000 pounds) moving along the road at 1 mph, the truck would still have a momentum of 75,000. The only time when a heavy object could have a small momentum would be if it was at rest and had no momentum.
Can a small Mini Cooper and a large Cadillac ever have the same momentum? What would that look like? Explain.
A Mini Cooper and a large Cadillac could have the same momentum. A Mini Cooper weighs about 2,700 pounds and a large Cadillac weighs about 7,000 pounds. Lets say that the Cooper was speeding along the highway, going 90 mph. Under the overpass of the highway, a large Cadillac is driving along the residential road at 35 mph. Because moment is calculated by multiplying mass and velocity, both the Mini Cooper and the Cadillac have a momentum of 243,000. They are equal!
1 comment:
Excellent! 4/4
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