Identical forces are exerted for the same length of time on two different objects.The magnitude of the change in momentum of the lighter object is
A)smaller than the magnitude of the change in momentum of the larger mass object, but not zero.
B)larger than the magnitude of the change in momentum of the larger mass object.
C)exactly equal to the magnitude of the change in momentum of the larger mass object.
D)zero.
E)There is not enough information to answer the question.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the law of conservation of momentum, the change in momentum of an object is equal to the force applied on it multiplied by the time for which the force was applied. As the forces applied are identical and act for the same length of time on both objects, the change in momentum of each object will be directly proportional to its mass. Therefore, the change in momentum of the lighter object will be smaller than the change in momentum of the larger mass object but exactly equal in magnitude, as stated in choice C.

Identical Forces Are Exerted for the Same Length of Time