In which situation would the momentum of a moving object increase?
A. A force acting in the direction of the objects motion is removed from the object.
B. A new force acts on the object, opposing the objects motion
C. A force acting in the direction opposite the objects motion is removed from the object
D. Two forces of equal magnitude act on the object in opposite directions
C. A force acting in the direction opposite the object's motion is removed from the object.
Steven is trying out for the position of pitcher on the baseball team. He can throw the baseball fast! The coach has cloaked some of his pitches at 85 mph. Some of Steven's friends decided to play to play a joke on him and replaced one of the baseballs with one that they tampered with. Instead of a mass of 145 grams, the boys added a lead weight so the mass is now 200 grams. Steven winds up and throws.
All of the statements describe the possible results of this scenario except one. Which statement is an inaccurate explanation?
A. Since force equals mass times acceleration, Steven's throwing force must increase to throw the ball 85 mph
B. If Steven's throwing force is constant and the balls mass increases, the rate of acceleration will be less.
C. The difference in the mass is not significant and will not affect the force needed to throw the ball 85 mph.
D. Steven must throw the new ball with more force in order for it to achieve the same speed as previous throws
C. The difference in the mass is not significant and will not affect the force needed to throw the ball 85 mph.
D. Two forces of equal magnitude act on the object in opposite directions
To determine which situation would cause the momentum of a moving object to increase, let's explore the concept of momentum and the factors that influence it.
Momentum is a property of moving objects and is defined as the product of an object's mass and its velocity. Mathematically, momentum (p) is given by the equation p = m * v, where m represents the mass of the object and v represents its velocity.
Based on this equation, we can analyze the given situations:
A. A force acting in the direction of the object's motion is removed from the object.
In this situation, if the force is acting in the same direction as the motion of the object, removing it would decrease the acceleration and ultimately result in a decrease in velocity. Since momentum is directly proportional to velocity, decreasing the velocity would also decrease the momentum. Therefore, the momentum of the object would not increase.
B. A new force acts on the object, opposing the object's motion.
Opposing the object's motion means applying a force in the opposite direction of its velocity. Consequently, this force would act to slow down or decelerate the object. As mentioned earlier, momentum is directly proportional to velocity. If the velocity decreases due to the opposing force, the momentum would also decrease. Therefore, the momentum of the object would not increase in this situation.
C. A force acting in the direction opposite the object's motion is removed from the object.
Here, if a force is acting against the object's motion and it is removed, the opposing force that was slowing down the object is eliminated. As a result, the deceleration will stop, and the object will continue moving with its original velocity or may even accelerate. Since momentum is directly proportional to velocity, an increase in velocity would lead to an increase in momentum. Therefore, the momentum of the object would increase in this situation.
D. Two forces of equal magnitude act on the object in opposite directions.
When two forces of equal magnitude act in opposite directions, the net force would be zero. According to Newton's first law of motion, an object at rest or moving at a constant velocity will continue doing so unless acted upon by an external force. In this scenario, if the object is already moving at a constant velocity, the two forces will balance each other out, resulting in no change in velocity or momentum. Therefore, the momentum of the object would not increase in this situation.
Based on the analysis, the situation in which the momentum of a moving object would increase is when a force acting in the direction opposite the object's motion is removed from the object (option C).