Question

1. A cart moving at 5.0 m/s is brought to a stop by the force plotted in the force-time graph shown here. Find the impulse and the approximate mass of the cart. Show all your work

Answer 1

Impulse is 0.4 x 18= 7.2

Step-by-step explanation:

Impulse is defined as the integral of force over the time duration. When you do the integration of Newtons second law, momentum is

`\int\limits^a_b {F} \, dt =\int\limits^a_b {(dp)/(dt) } \, dt`

= Δp

If momentum p is defined as the integral of force per unit time, then we can take the area under the curve to find momentum, as the area under the curve can approximate the integral of the function.

Therefore, to quickly summarize, taking the maximum force, 18N , multiplied by duration of the interaction, which is 0.5s-0.1s=0.4s, will give your momentum, in the units of kg•m/s.

Hope that helps!