CBSENEETJEEClass 9

What is momentum?

Answer

Momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of a body, p = mv, and it measures the quantity of motion a body possesses.

The working

Formula

Linear momentum p = m × v, where m is mass and v is velocity. Its SI unit is kg·m/s.

Vector quantity

Momentum has both magnitude and direction; its direction is the same as that of the velocity of the body.

Link to force

Newton's second law states that force equals the rate of change of momentum, F = Δp/Δt, so a force changes a body's momentum.

Conservation

In the absence of an external force, the total momentum of a system stays constant, which is the law of conservation of momentum.

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