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GCSE Physics · key term
A short interaction in which objects exert forces on one another and their velocities may change.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.5.7.2 · Paper 2
An event in which objects strike one another and exert forces on each other.
Revise: Conservation of momentumDuring a collision, one object can lose momentum while the other gains the same amount.
Specification 2.25, 14.12 · Paper 1, Paper 2
An event in which objects interact for a short time and exert forces on one another, usually changing their velocities.
Revise: Examples of MomentumDuring a collision, each object exerts a force on the other. Newton’s third law tells us that these forces are equal in size and opposite in direction. They act for the same interaction time, so the objects undergo equal and opposite changes in momentum.
A brief interaction in which a moving particle strikes another object and changes its motion.
Specification P2.2k · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
Revise: MomentumDuring a collision, each object exerts a force on the other. These forces change the objects' velocities, so their individual momenta change. For example, a moving trolley may collide with a stationary trolley and transfer some of its momentum to it.
If objects stick together, use their combined mass after the collision.
Compare the total momentum of all relevant objects before the collision with their total momentum afterwards; do not compare their speeds alone.
Build explanations as a causal chain: random particle motion → collisions with the container wall → forces on the wall → force per unit area, which is pressure.
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