What is momentum? Explain with examples. (2024)

FAQs

What is momentum? Explain with examples.? ›

broadly : a property of a moving body that determines the length of time required to bring it to rest when under the action of a constant force or moment. 2. : strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events. The wagon gained momentum as it rolled down the hill.

The larger the mass of the object, the more momentum it has. Similarly, for velocity, objects that are moving faster also have more momentum. For example, a heavy truck traveling on the highway has more momentum than a smaller car traveling at the same speed because it has a greater mass.

Momentum is the quantity that is used to describe the state of motion of an object with a non-zero mass. Hence, momentum is applicable to any moving object. If is the mass of an object and is the velocity with which this body travels, then momentum can be expressed as p → = m v → .

Momentum can be defined as "mass in motion." All objects have mass; so if an object is moving, then it has momentum - it has its mass in motion. The amount of momentum that an object has is dependent upon two variables: how much stuff is moving and how fast the stuff is moving.

Some examples of momentum that are used in everyday life: In a large truck, running on the highway ( even with a small velocity ) has a very high momentum because of its large mass. An athlete running in a race with some velocity has momentum. Because an athlete running in the race is a mass in motion.

You have more momentum when you are running than when you are walking. By the same token, if a car and bicycle are traveling down the street at the same velocity, the car will have more momentum. Momentum is typically measured in kilograms times meters per second (kg*m/s) or newton-second (N s).

It's the sense of forward movement and accomplishment that propels you towards further success. But momentum is more than just a feeling. It's a self-reinforcing cycle where small wins and accomplishments build confidence and motivation, leading to more success and progress.

Momentum (P) is equal to mass (M) times velocity (v). But there are other ways to think about momentum! Force (F) is equal to the change in momentum (ΔP) over the change in time (Δt).

: a property of a moving body that the body has by virtue of its mass and motion and that is equal to the product of the body's mass and velocity.

Dealing with momentum is more difficult than dealing with mass and energy because momentum is a vector quantity having both a magnitude and a direction. Momentum is conserved in all three physical directions at the same time.

What is momentum for idiots? ›

The brief, and rather vague, version: momentum is a measure of (a) what direction things are moving, and (b) how hard it would be to get them to stop; impulse is the amount that an object's momentum changes as the result of some sort of sudden jolt (like in a collision). An impulse is a very quick push.

That's why we say momentum is the characteristic property of motion. Also, since the object is at rest, it will have zero kinetic energy an so the object cannot transfer it's energy to another one. So, the momentum tells you the direction along which energy transfer takes place.

Examples of momentum in a Sentence

The company has had a successful year and hopes to maintain its momentum by introducing new products. The movie loses momentum toward the end. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'momentum.

For example, during a pool game, if the 8-ball is hit directly with the cue ball, the cue ball will stop and the 8-ball will roll with as much momentum as the cue ball had before the collision. Since the masses of the two balls are the same, this means that the 8-ball will have the same velocity as the cue ball had.

hence the net force is equal to the mass of the particle times its acceleration. Example: A model airplane of mass 1 kg accelerates from rest to a velocity of 6 m/s due north in 2 s. The net force required to produce this acceleration is 3 newtons due north. The change in momentum is 6 kg⋅m/s due north.

Momentum is conserved in collisions close collisionWhen two objects meet and interact, eg two particles moving towards each other will collide. and explosions. For example, a supernova is an exploding star - the outer layers are thrown out into space in all directions..