
A football player, momentarily at rest on the field, catches a
football as he is tackled by a running player on the other team.
This is certainly a collision (inelastic!) and momentum must be
conserved. In the reference frame of the football field, there is
momentum before the collision but there seems to be none after
the collision. Is linear momentum really conserved? If so, explain how. If not, explain why.
football as he is tackled by a running player on the other team.
This is certainly a collision (inelastic!) and momentum must be
conserved. In the reference frame of the football field, there is
momentum before the collision but there seems to be none after
the collision. Is linear momentum really conserved? If so, explain how. If not, explain why.




