Under what circumstances is the change in momentum of a system equal to zero?
If no outside forces act upon the system, total momentum is always unchanged.
When the system is filled with politicians, because they rarely seem to change direction or speed.
The change in momentum of a system is equal to zero under the following circumstances:
1. When the net external force acting on the system is zero: According to Newton's second law, the change in momentum of an object is directly proportional to the net external force acting on it. If the net external force is zero, then the change in momentum of the system will also be zero.
2. When the system is isolated: A system is considered isolated when there are no external forces acting on it. In such cases, the momentum of the system remains constant, resulting in zero change in momentum.
3. When the forces acting on the system cancel each other out: In some cases, the forces acting on the objects within a system may cancel each other out such that the net external force is zero. When this occurs, the change in momentum of the system will be zero.
It's important to note that if the total momentum of a system is initially zero, it will remain zero unless acted upon by an external force.
The change in momentum of a system is equal to zero under certain circumstances. This occurs when the net external force acting on the system is zero. In other words, if the total external force on a system is zero, the change in momentum will be zero as well.
To understand this concept, let's consider Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the rate of change of its momentum. Mathematically, it can be written as:
F = Δp / Δt
Where F represents the net external force, Δp is the change in momentum, and Δt is the change in time.
When the net external force is zero (F = 0), the equation simplifies to:
0 = Δp / Δt
In this case, Δp must be zero to satisfy the equation. Therefore, the change in momentum of the system will be zero.
To summarize, the change in momentum of a system is equal to zero when there is no net external force acting on the system. This can occur, for example, when the system is at rest, or when the forces acting on the system cancel each other out.