Question

The video shows an animated billiards experiment in which a cue ball strikes a glued-in-place eight-ball. which of the following explains why the momentum of the eight-ball is conserved?

Answer 1

Suppose object A is a cue ball and object B is an eight ball on a pool table. If the cue ball strikes the eight ball, the cue ball exerts a force on the eight ball that sends it rolling toward the pocket. At the same time, the eight ball exerts an equal and opposite force on the cue ball that brings it to a stop. Note that both the cue ball and the eight ball each experience a change in momentum. However, the sum of the momentum of the cue ball and the momentum of the eight ball remains constant throughout.