Momentum

Momentum is the outcome of a particle’s mass and velocity. Momentum is a vector quantity, which possesses both magnitude and direction. According to Isaac Newton’s second equation of motion, the time rate at which momentum changes equals the force acting on the particle.

Momentum:

According to Newton’s second law, if a constant force operates on a particle for a particular time interval, the product of the force and the time interval (the impulse) equals the change in momentum. In contrast, the speed of a particle is a measure of time necessary to bring it to rest with a constant force.

Any group of particles has momentum equal to the vector sum of its rates. Newton’s third law states that particles exert opposite and equal forces on one another, which means that every change in the momentum of one particle is precisely balanced by an equal and opposite change in the rate of another particle. Thus, in the absence of an external force, the total momentum of a collection of particles remains constant; this is the meaning of the law of conservation of momentum.

Momentum Equation:

“Mass in motion” is the definition of momentum. For an object to have momentum, it should possess movement. There are two variables to consider when determining an object’s momentum: how much material is traveling and how fast it moves. Mass and velocity are the two variables that determine momentum. For an object’s momentum to be equal to its mass and velocity, an equation must be used.

The formula for calculating momentum is mass multiplied by velocity.

Momentum = mass x velocity

In physics, the lowercase p is the symbol denoting the amount of momentum. As a result, the equation given above can be written as

In other words, p = m x v

Whereas m denotes mass, and v denotes velocity. Thus, momentum of an object is proportional to both its mass and velocity.

It would make sense to measure momentum in terms of mass times velocity. Kg m/s is the most commonly used metric unit for momentum. It is acceptable to use various units of momentum, even though it  is the standard metric unit. 

The Principle of Conservation of Momentum:

According to the conservation of momentum principle, two objects colliding have the same combined momentum before and after the collision. Momentum is always conserved in an isolated system collision. Your hand receives the ball’s kinetic energy when you catch it, just like when you throw a baseball.

Thus, during collision, momentum can only be transferred from one body but another such that the total momentum of the combined system remains the same.

This principle is also seen in action when a gun is fired. According to the law of conservation of momentum, the initial momentum of the system (gun and bullet) is equal to the final momentum. So, in order to conserve momentum, the gun recoils.

Understanding momentum with an example:

Consider Sam and Max, two friends who each weigh 30 kilograms and 40 kilograms, respectively, and run in the same way at the same speed.

1. Who is gathering momentum, and why?
2. If they strike a wall, who is most likely to be injured?

Because Sam’s and Max’s velocities are the same, the obvious answer to both queries is Max. Max will have greater momentum than Sam because of his larger mass.

This indicates that if two bodies collide, the total momentum of the system after the impact will be the same as before the collision because of the law of conservation of momentum.

Momentum A Vector Quantity:

An object’s momentum is a vector quantity. The size and guide of a 5-kg bowling ball travelling westward at 2 m/s must be included in the description of its momentum. To adequately explain the ball’s momentum, the direction in which it is travelling must also be stated so that the 10 kg m/s of momentum may be accurately defined. There is a direct correlation between the ball’s velocity and the direction of the momentum vector. It was previously said that the direction of an object’s velocity vector corresponds to its motion. Therefore, the momentum of a bowling ball travelling westward can be accurately defined as 10 kg m/s westward. Momentum is a vector quantity, which means it may be expressed in both direction and magnitude.

Weight:

When an object accelerates due to gravity, its force is known as weight. Weighing is a function of mass times the Earth’s gravitational acceleration.

Weight, on the other hand, refers to the amount of mass that a thing can hold. This property of matter is constant and unchanging. Weight, on the other hand, is a function of gravity. A person’s mass remains the same on the Earth, but their weight is determined by the gravitational pull of both the Earth and the moon.

Inertia:

Sir Isaac Newton initially coined the term inertia. It is all explained in his first rule of motion, which states: When an item is at rest or moving, it tends to stay that way until an external force acts on it.

Inertia can be defined as the amount of mass that causes an item to either remain stationary or move on. An external force must be used to overcome inertia. The object will either come to a halt or slow down due to the applied force. When it comes to inertia, mass measures how much resistance there is to acceleration.

Density:

Density is defined as the mass per unit volume of a given material. For example, to understand how dense fabric is, density is employed as one of the qualities of materials. The idea of density was introduced by Greek scientist Archimedes, who defined how to calculat