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29 September, 08:19

Why does a rocket have such great momentum even if it is moving at a slow speed?

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  1. 29 September, 10:54
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    Momentum of an object is the product of two quantities:

    Momentum = (the object's mass) times (the object's speed)

    If one of these quantities is small, the momentum can still be large if the other quantity is huge.

    A rifle bullet is a great example of this idea. The bullet has a small mass ... maybe only a few grams ... but it gets shot out of the rifle with such a high speed that when you multiply (mass) x (speed), the bullet has enough momentum to knock a big person down off his feet.
  2. 29 September, 11:34
    0
    Rockets provide a wonderful example of Momentum Conservation. As momentum in one direction is given to the rocket's exhaust gases, momentum in the other direction is given to the rocket itself.

    Explanation:

    First, think of two masses connected by a lightweight (massless!) compressed spring. When the two spring apart, conservation of momentum tells us the Center of Mass remains where it was (or moving as it was).

    PTot, i = p1i + p2i = 0 + 0 = 0

    PTot, f = p1f + p2f = PTot, i = 0

    p1f + p2f = - m1 v1f + m2 v2f = 0
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