Question

When a person jumps from tree to ground, what happens to the momentum of the person upon striking the ground?

Answer 1

it depends on what you consider as your "system". If you include the earth, then momentum is conserved (the lost momentum is transferred to the earth). If you consider just the person in your system, then the momentum is lost to an impulse (force acting on the person to slow him to a stop for a certain amount of time)

Answer 2

@stan, you are almost there but you didn't include about the concept of collision. In this case it is inelastic collision where momentum is not conserved. The moment is lost

Answer 3

That's right, lost to impulse like I said, or - if you include the earth in the system - transferred to the earth