Question

When a baseball player catches a baseball, the glove "gives" or moves backward. How does this movement affect the change in momentum of the baseball? The change in momentum increases because the impact time increases. The change in momentum decreases because the force decreases. The change in momentum stays the same because the ball still comes to a stop. The change in momentum depends on the initial speed of the ball and the time to stop.

Answer 1

The change in momentum increases because the impact time increases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The change in momentum of an object is also called impulse (J), and it is equal to

`J=F \Delta t`

where

F is the force applied to the object

`\Delta t` is the time taken for the change in momentum of the object to occur (the impact time)

From the formula above, we can notice that:

- the larger the force, the larger the change in momentum

- the larger the impact time, the larger the change in momentum

In the example of the baseball caught by the glove, when the glove moves backward, the time taken for the ball to stop increases (due to the movement of the gloves). Looking at the formula, we see that this means that the impulse (the change in momentum) increases.