(3-1) ① Start with Sir Isaac’s second law, which we can state as the familiar equation:
force = mass x acceleration (F = ma)
Use this to derive a relationship between the applied force (F) and momentum (p).
② Now invoke the third law, which states that the forces exerted by the colliding objects upon one another are equal and opposite. Use this, together with your answer to part ①, to show that if objects A and B collide, d(pA + pB)/dt = 0.
③ If this derivative equals zero, what does that mean about the function pA + pB ?