Why do things lose momentum?

If the net force acting on an object is zero, then the linear momentum is constant. In an elastic collision (such as a superball hitting and rebounding from the ground), no kinetic energy is lost. The object would then have less energy when it rebounded, so the KE and momentum would be less.

What happens to momentum when an object is dropped?

Explanation: When you drop an object it will fall under the influence of gravity and reach the ground; at the instant before the impact it will have a certain momentum →p1=m→v1 (a vector, with modulus AND direction). After the impact the momentum →p2=m→v2 will be “reversed” compared to the initial one (before impact).

Why does air resistance slow things down?

Q: Why does air resistance slow things down? With air resistance, acceleration throughout a fall gets less than gravity (g) because air resistance affects the movement of the falling object by slowing it down.

What happened to the momentum that was lost?

That is, the momentum lost by object 1 is equal to the momentum gained by object 2. In most collisions between two objects, one object slows down and loses momentum while the other object speeds up and gains momentum. If object 1 loses 75 units of momentum, then object 2 gains 75 units of momentum.

What affects the momentum of an object?

The amount of momentum that an object has is dependent upon two variables: how much stuff is moving and how fast the stuff is moving. Momentum depends upon the variables mass and velocity. In terms of an equation, the momentum of an object is equal to the mass of the object times the velocity of the object.

How does the force affect the momentum of an object?

A force acting for a given amount of time will change an object’s momentum. If the force acts opposite the object’s motion, it slows the object down. If a force acts in the same direction as the object’s motion, then the force speeds the object up. Either way, a force will change the velocity of an object.

Why is momentum not conserved in a falling ball?

The momentum of the ball is not conserved because an external force (gravity) is applied on it. The momentum of a system is conserved where there are no external forces on it.

Why does air resistance affect lighter objects more?

The air is actually an upward force of friction, acting against gravity and slowing down the rate at which the feather falls. Galileo discovered that objects that are more dense, or have more mass, fall at a faster rate than less dense objects, due to this air resistance.

What is a force that is caused by air that slows objects down?

Friction- Drag Force • Friction drag force causes objects to slow down as they move through a fluid, such as air or water.

How can you increase the momentum of an object?

If you increase either mass or velocity, the momentum of the object increases proportionally. If you double the mass or velocity you double the momentum.

What happens when an object falls through the air?

Falling with Air Resistance As an object falls through air, it usually encounters some degree of air resistance. Air resistance is the result of collisions of the object’s leading surface with air molecules. The actual amount of air resistance encountered by the object is dependent upon a variety of factors.

Why does an object stop accelerating when it falls?

As an object falls, it picks up speed. The increase in speed leads to an increase in the amount of air resistance. Eventually, the force of air resistance becomes large enough to balances the force of gravity. At this instant in time, the net force is 0 Newton; the object will stop accelerating.

Why do objects fall at the same rate for all mass?

As such, all objects free fall at the same rate regardless of their mass. Because the 9.8 N/kg gravitational field at Earth’s surface causes a 9.8 m/s/s acceleration of any object placed there, we often call this ratio the acceleration of gravity.

Why does a skydiver fall faster than a falling object?

A falling object will continue to accelerate to higher speeds until they encounter an amount of air resistance that is equal to their weight. Since the 150-kg skydiver weighs more (experiences a greater force of gravity), it will accelerate to higher speeds before reaching a terminal velocity.