Does the force applied to an object depend on its mass and velocity?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between force, mass, and velocity, particularly in the context of momentum and kinetic energy. Participants explore how these concepts interact when considering objects of different masses and velocities, and how this affects the difficulty of stopping them.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about momentum, questioning whether two objects with different masses and velocities can have the same momentum and if this means they are equally hard to stop.
  • Another participant agrees with the initial claim, clarifying that the impulse required to stop both objects is the same if the force is applied over the same duration.
  • Further discussion highlights the importance of considering kinetic energy, with one participant noting that a 60 kg object moving at 100 m/s has significantly more kinetic energy than a 600 kg object moving at 10 m/s.
  • Participants discuss the implications of kinetic energy on the distance over which force must be applied to stop the objects, indicating that the force must be applied over a greater distance for the lighter object moving faster.
  • There is a reiteration that while the impulse may be the same, the energy considerations complicate the understanding of how hard it is to stop each object.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that impulse is a key factor in stopping the objects, but there is no consensus on the implications of kinetic energy and the distances over which forces must be applied. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the overall understanding of how mass and velocity interact in this context.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention different ways to quantify the difficulty of stopping objects, highlighting the dependence on definitions of "equally hard" and the role of kinetic energy in the discussion. There are unresolved aspects regarding the relationship between force, distance, and energy that participants have not fully clarified.

Karan Punjabi
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I'm in a whole confusion that I want to understand momentum. If i consider object having mass 600 kg moving with a velocity 1 m/s and if another object with mass 60 kg moving with velocity 10 m/s the we say both objects have same momentum . so is it so like 60 kg mass has 10 times less inertia than 600 kg mass so if that object has 10 times more velocity then both mass and velocity balance each other and it is eqaully hard to stop both of them? Am I right?
 
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Karan Punjabi said:
Am I right?
Yes, I think you are, provided that by "equally hard" you mean that the impulse (i.e. the product of force and duration of application of said force, assuming it to be constant) required to bring the objects to a stop has the same magnitude for both objects.
 
Krylov said:
Yes, I think you are, provided that by "equally hard" you mean that the impulse (i.e. the product of force and duration of application of said force, assuming it to be constant) required to bring the objects to a stop has the same magnitude for both objects.
Yes by EQUALLY HARD i mean that only...so that's why we say mass × velocity
 
Then from what you wrote I don't see any problem with your understanding.
 
Krylov said:
Then from what you wrote I don't see any problem with your understanding.
Yeah... I am understanding but i don't know why i am not satisfied.
 
Yes, although you also need to consider the potential energy of the objects. A 60 kg object moving at100 m/s has 300000 joules kinetic energy and a 600 kg object moving at 10 m/s has 30000 joules kinetic energy. The difference comes up in what you mean by "equally hard" as Krylov suggested. Same force and (time) duration of application but the force must be applied over a greater distance for the 60 kg object.
 
For me, satisfaction often comes from solving problems, for example by doing some well-designed exercises. Maybe you tried that already?
 
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Krylov said:
For me, satisfaction often comes from solving problems, for example by doing some well-designed exercises. Maybe you tried that already?
Yes i did some too
 
HallsofIvy said:
Yes, although you also need to consider the potential energy of the objects. A 60 kg object moving at100 m/s has 300000 joules kinetic energy and a 600 kg object moving at 10 m/s has 30000 joules kinetic energy. The difference comes up in what you mean by "equally hard" as Krylov suggested. Same force and (time) duration of application but the force must be applied over a greater distance for the 60 kg object.
I didn't caught you in the last point that force should be applied over a greater distance?
 
  • #10
Karan Punjabi said:
I didn't caught you in the last point that force should be applied over a greater distance?
I think what @HallsofIvy justly pointed out, is that there are different ways to quantify how hard it is to stop the objects. In terms of impulse, stopping the objects is equally hard, but of course it is energetically more expensive to stop ##m_1## because initially the kinetic energy ##T_1## of object 1 (##60## kg, ##100##m/s) is ten times the kinetic energy ##T_2## of object 2 (##600##kg, ##10##m/s).

Since work done equals (constant) force times distance, and the change in kinetic energy is equal to the work done, you find that the distances traveled by the two masses since the moment the force was applied, are
$$
d_1 = \frac{T_1}{F} > \frac{T_2}{F} = d_2
$$
so indeed ##F## must be applied over a greater distance for object 1.
 
  • #11
Krylov said:
I think what @HallsofIvy justly pointed out, is that there are different ways to quantify how hard it is to stop the objects. In terms of impulse, stopping the objects is equally hard, but of course it is energetically more expensive to stop ##m_1## because initially the kinetic energy ##T_1## of object 1 (##60## kg, ##100##m/s) is ten times the kinetic energy ##T_2## of object 2 (##600##kg, ##10##m/s).

Since work done equals (constant) force times distance, and the change in kinetic energy is equal to the work done, you find that the distances traveled by the two masses since the moment the force was applied, are
$$
d_1 = \frac{T_1}{F} > \frac{T_2}{F} = d_2
$$
so indeed ##F## must be applied over a greater distance for object 1.
Ohk...yeah that's a matter of kinetic energy i know...but still the force applied will be same
 

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