In a problem involving a golf club striking a stationary golf ball, if we define our system to be both the golf club and the ball, the momentum of the system
A) is conserved.
B) is not conserved.
C) is conserved only if the final momentum of the ball is known.
D) cannot be determined.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a closed system where no external forces act on the system, the law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of the system remains constant. In the case of a golf club striking a ball, if we consider both the club and the ball as our system, external forces (like gravity and air resistance) can be considered negligible during the very short interaction time. Therefore, the momentum of the system (club + ball) is conserved before and after the strike.

In a Problem Involving a Golf Club Striking a Stationary