NEET 2026
- Exam
- NEET
- Year
- 2026
- Subject
- Physics
- Chapter
- Center of Mass, Momentum and Collision
NEET 2026 · Physics · Center of Mass, Momentum and Collision
A frictionless circular wire of unit radius is fixed on the...
A frictionless circular wire of unit radius is fixed on the horizontal plane. Two point particles of unit mass start moving simultaneously from point with identical uniform angular speeds in opposite directions, and meet again at point . During this time, which of the following figures schematically represent the magnitude of the total linear momentum of the system, as a function of ?

Options
- A

- B

- C

- D

Correct answer
D. 
Step-by-step solution
Let the uniform angular speed of the particles be .
The position vector of the particle on the right at an angle is given by .
Since it moves from to , its angular velocity is .
The velocity of the first particle is .
By symmetry, the position vector of the particle on the left is .
Its velocity is .
The total linear momentum of the system is .
Given , we have .
The magnitude of the total linear momentum is (since for ).
The graph of versus is a cosine curve which is zero at and maximum at . This corresponds to the fourth graph.
Answer:
The position vector of the particle on the right at an angle is given by .
Since it moves from to , its angular velocity is .
The velocity of the first particle is .
By symmetry, the position vector of the particle on the left is .
Its velocity is .
The total linear momentum of the system is .
Given , we have .
The magnitude of the total linear momentum is (since for ).
The graph of versus is a cosine curve which is zero at and maximum at . This corresponds to the fourth graph.
Answer: