A bouncy rubber ball and a squishy mud ball were thrown at a wall. The mud ball stuck, and the rubber ball bounced back off. Which transferred more momentum to the wall (i.e., which experienced the largest change in momentum)? The balls have identical velocities.
mass (which is not discussed) is a factor
the rubber ball returns from the wall with momentum in the direction opposite its approach
the change (reversal) in momentum means that a larger momentum was transferred to the wall than if the ball had stuck
To determine which ball transferred more momentum to the wall, we need to understand the concept of momentum. Momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity, and it is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.
In this scenario, both the bouncy rubber ball and the squishy mud ball have identical velocities, so their speed and direction are the same. However, their masses are different, with the mud ball typically being heavier than the rubber ball.
To calculate momentum, we use the formula:
Momentum = mass × velocity
Since the balls have the same velocity, the ball with the greater mass will have greater momentum.
Therefore, based on their respective masses, the squishy mud ball, being heavier, will transfer more momentum to the wall compared to the bouncy rubber ball.