Calculate linear momentum from mass and velocity, solve for unknown variables, and analyze elastic and inelastic collisions with conservation of momentum.
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Momentum (p) is the product of mass and velocity, representing how much 'motion' an object has. Our calculator helps you compute momentum, solve for unknown mass or velocity, and analyze collisions to understand energy transfer and conservation.
Linear momentum is a vector quantity equal to the product of an object's mass and velocity. It's conserved in closed systems, meaning the total momentum before and after a collision remains constant. This principle is fundamental in physics and engineering for analyzing motion and impacts.
Momentum Formula
p = m × vPredict outcomes of vehicle accidents, sports impacts, and particle collisions.
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Understand Newton's laws and conservation principles.
In elastic collisions, both momentum AND kinetic energy are conserved—objects bounce off each other. In inelastic collisions, only momentum is conserved—some kinetic energy converts to heat, sound, or deformation. In perfectly inelastic collisions, objects stick together.
Momentum conservation follows from Newton's Third Law: for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. During a collision, the forces between objects are equal and opposite, so momentum gained by one object equals momentum lost by the other.
The SI unit of momentum is kilogram-meters per second (kg⋅m/s). In the CGS system, it's gram-centimeters per second (g⋅cm/s). Some textbooks also use Newton-seconds (N⋅s), which is equivalent to kg⋅m/s.
Yes, momentum is a vector quantity with direction. By convention, we often assign positive values to rightward/forward motion and negative values to leftward/backward motion. In collision problems, opposite directions have opposite signs.