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Which of newtons three laws states that momentum can be transferred between object but cannot be lost?

Just answer the question no comments please.

2 Answers

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  • 7 years ago
    Favourite answer

    2nd Law!

  • RickB
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    It's a combination of the 2nd and 3rd Laws.

    Imagine two objects A and B with masses Ma, Mb; and initial velocities Va and Vb.

    When they collide, A exerts a certain force on B, call it "F_ab", for a certain time interval t. This causes B to change its velocity by a certain amount ΔVb. The acceleration of B is therefore (by definition) ΔVb/t, and by Newton's 2nd Law:

    F_ab = (Mb)(ΔVb/t)

    or:

    (F_ab)t = (Mb)(ΔVb)

    But note that (Mb)(ΔVb) is just the change in B's momentum, which we can call ΔPb:

    (F_ab)t = ΔPb

    By a completely analogous argument, if F_ba is the force that B exerts on A, and if ΔPa is the change in A's momentum, then:

    (F_ba)t = ΔPa

    But Newton's 3rd Law states that F_ab = −F_ba. Apply this to the two equations above and you get:

    ΔPb = −ΔPa

    Which is another way of saying: The amount of momentum gained by one object equals the amount gained by the other object. Another way to put it is:

    Overall change in momentum = ΔPa + ΔPb

    = ΔPa + (−ΔPb)

    = 0

    That is, the overall change in momentum is zero. In the system as a whole, no momentum is gained or lost; only transferred from one object to another.

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