A batter hits a foul ball.The 0.14-kg baseball that was approaching him at 40 m/s leaves the bat at 30 m/s in a direction perpendicular to the line between the batter and the pitcher.What is the magnitude of the impulse exerted on the baseball?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Impulse is the change in momentum. The initial momentum is 0.14 kg * 40 m/s = 5.6 kg∙m/s. The final momentum is 0.14 kg * 30 m/s = 4.2 kg∙m/s. The impulse is the vector sum of these, which is √(5.6² + 4.2²) = 7.0 N∙s.

A Batter Hits a Foul Ball