PhysicsCode 9702
Linear momentum and its conservation
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- state the principle that momentum is conserved
- apply momentum conservation to simple questions, including elastic and inelastic interactions involving bodies in one and two dimensions (the coefficient of restitution concept is not required)
- recall that, in an elastic collision, overall kinetic energy remains unchanged and the speed at which the objects approach each other equals the speed at which they move apart
- understand that in any interaction between objects the momentum of the system is always conserved, though its kinetic energy may change