Potential Energy
An object can store energy as the result of its position. For example, the heavy ball of a demolition machine is storing energy when it is held at an elevated…
Calculating the Amount of Work Done by Forces
In a previous topic, work was described as taking place when a force acts upon an object to cause a displacement. When a force acts to cause an object to be…
Definition and Mathematics of Work
Force and mass information were used to determine the acceleration of an object. Acceleration information was subsequently used to determine information about the velocity or displacement of an object after…
Solving Explosion Momentum Problems
Since total system momentum is conserved in an explosion occurring in an isolated system, momentum principles can be used to make predictions about the resulting velocity of an object. Problem…
Equal and Opposite Momentum Changes
Just like in collisions, the two objects involved encounter the same force for the same amount of time directed in opposite directions. This results in impulses that are equal in…
Momentum Conservation in Explosions
As discussed in a previous part of Lesson 2, total system momentum is conserved for collisions between objects in an isolated system. For collisions occurring in isolated systems, there are no…
Using Equations as a Guide to Thinking
The three problems on the previous page illustrate how the law of momentum conservation can be used to solve problems in which the after-collision velocity of an object is predicted based on…
Using Equations as a Recipe for Algebraic Problem-Solving
As discussed in a previous part of Lesson 2, total system momentum is conserved for collisions between objects in an isolated system. The momentum lost by one object is equal to…
The Money Transfer Analogy
If a system is not isolated, then the total system momentum is not conserved. To understand this concept, we will return to our original analogy. Suppose Jack and Jill (each with…
What is an Isolated System?
A system is a collection of two or more objects. An isolated system is a system thatF is free from theinfluence of a net external force that alters the momentum of the system. There…
