Question

A tennis player smashes a ball of mass m horizontally at a vertical wall. The ball rebounds at the same speed v with which it struck the wall. Has the momentum of the ball changed, and if so, by how much?

Answer 1

Answer:

The magnitude of change in momentum is (2mv).

Explanation:

The momentum of an object is given by the product of mass and velocity with which it is moving.

Let the mass of ball is m. A tennis player smashes a ball of mass m horizontally at a vertical wall. The ball rebounds at the same speed v with which it struck the wall.

Initial speed of the ball is v and final speed, when it rebounds, is (-v). The change in momentum is given by :

p = final momentum - initial momentum

$p=-mv-mv\\\\p=-2mv$

So, the magnitude of change in momentum is (2mv).