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Learn the meaning of momentum as a property of a moving body or a force gained by motion or events. See synonyms, examples, word history, and related phrases of momentum.
In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (pl.: momenta or momentums; more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction.
Apr 27, 2024 · Momentum is the product of mass and velocity of a particle, and it is a vector quantity that changes with force. Learn about the law of conservation of momentum, the electron subatomic particle, and related topics from Britannica.
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Learn the meaning of momentum in physics, business and general English, with examples and related words. Find out how to pronounce momentum and translate it in different languages.
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- Introduction to Momentum
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- What else should I know about momentum?
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Review your understanding of momentum in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.
Both the mass and velocity of an object impact momentum. As a result, less massive objects can have more momentum than more massive objects (if the less massive object is moving faster), and slower objects can have more momentum than faster objects (if the slower object has more mass). For example, a parked car has less momentum than a flying mosquito and a bicycle moving at 20 mph has less momentum than a freight train moving at 1 mph .
Depending on the situation, we can consider the momentum of individual objects, or we can consider the total momentum of an entire system. The total momentum of a system is the vector sum of all the individual masses that comprise the system. So for a system that consists of two masses, m1 and m2 , with velocities v→1 and v→2 , we can write P→total=p→1+p→1 , where p→1=m1v→1 and p→2=m2v→2 .
Since v→ is a vector, momentum, p→ , is also a vector. As such, the frame of reference impacts how we determine velocity v→ , and thus momentum p→ . For example, the passenger inside a moving car will have a momentum of 0 with respect to the car, but their momentum is non-zero with respect to the ground.
In addition, for the chosen reference frame, the x -direction and the y -direction of the momentum for each object must be considered separately. For example, two objects with the same mass and speed moving in the same direction will have total momentum of 2mv . But if those objects were moving directly towards each other, they would have a total momentum of zero.
•Momenta of zero. If an object is moving, its momentum cannot be zero. However, this is not necessarily true for a system. Since momentum is a vector, the total momentum of a system can be zero if there are multiple masses. For instance, a system of two objects that have the same magnitude of momentum and are moving directly toward one another will have a total momentum of zero.
•Momentum can be represented by p→ or by P→ . You may sometimes see p→ for an individual mass and P→ for a system of masses.
Learn the definition, equation and examples of momentum, a vector quantity that depends on mass and velocity. Explore how momentum changes with different frames of reference and systems of objects.
Learn the definition and formula of momentum, and how it relates to force, impulse, and conservation of energy. Watch examples of elastic and inelastic collisions, and see how momentum affects the speed and direction of objects.
- 9 min
- Sal Khan
Momentum definition: force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events. See examples of MOMENTUM used in a sentence.
