Change in Momentum of a Hockey Puck

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the change in momentum of a 3.06 kg hockey puck subjected to a slap shot for 0.06 seconds. The key equation used is Impulse = Mass x (Change in velocity) = Force x time. Participants conclude that either the force exerted on the puck or the change in velocity is necessary to determine the change in momentum definitively. The problem may lack sufficient information, as indicated by multiple contributors.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of impulse and momentum concepts
  • Familiarity with Newton's second law of motion
  • Basic algebra for manipulating equations
  • Knowledge of units of measurement in physics (e.g., kg, m/s)
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration in physics
  • Learn how to express momentum in terms of force and time
  • Study examples of impulse problems in classical mechanics
  • Explore common pitfalls in physics problem-solving, particularly in momentum calculations
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Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on mechanics, as well as educators looking to clarify concepts related to momentum and impulse.

Wyatt Lowery
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Homework Statement


A hockey player hits a slap shot, exerting a constant force on a 3.06 kg puck for 0.06 seconds. What is the change in momentum of the puck?

Homework Equations



Impulse = Mass x (Change in velocity) = Force x time

(I think that’s all needed? Most likely missing one.)

The Attempt at a Solution


I’ve tried everything in my arsenal. I’ve communicated with my peers, and my teacher refuses to help because it is a part of the review for our final.

I’ve reduced the problem down to a series of relationships between acceleration, velocity, force, but still there are two unknowns in every equations and no way to solve from my perspective. I speculate that I’m either missing something in the problem or am at loss of an essential equation. All help is appreciated. (My teacher has been known to make faulty problems, it is a possibility that this cannot be solved.)
 
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As far as I believe at least one Information is missing.

Force is the change of momentum in time. So you have the time and the mass of the puck, but the velocity or force is missing to determine anything further.

Maybe someone has a better solution.
 
Wyatt Lowery said:
I think that’s all needed?

As far as I can see, it is.

Wyatt Lowery said:
My teacher has been known to make faulty problems, it is a possibility that this cannot be solved.

That would be my suspicion based on the problem description in your OP. As far as I can see, @The_Sadist is correct that you need either the force or the change in velocity to get a final answer. The best you can do with the information given would be to express the change in momentum in terms of either the force or the change in velocity.
 
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PeterDonis said:
As far as I can see, it is.
That would be my suspicion based on the problem description in your OP. As far as I can see, @The_Sadist is correct that you need either the force or the change in velocity to get a final answer. The best you can do with the information given would be to express the change in momentum in terms of either the force or the change in velocity.
Thank you. This has been killing me. I’ll express it as a proportion/relation.
 

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