Force and Motion
MOMENTUM PRINCIPLES
Rev. 0
Page 5
CP-03
MOMENTUM PRINCIPLES
Momentum is a measure of the motion of a moving body. An understanding of
momentum and the conservation of momentum provides essential tools in solving
physics problems.
EO 1.5
DEFINE momentum.
EO 1.6
EXPLAIN the conservation of momentum.
EO 1.7
Using the conservation of momentum, CALCULATE the
velocity for an object (or objects) following a collision of
two objects.
Momentum
Momentum is a basic and widely applicable concept of physics. It is, in a sense, the measure of
the motion of a moving body. It is the result of the product of the body's mass and the velocity
at which it is moving. Therefore, momentum can be defined using Equation 3-3.
P = mv
(3-3)
where:
P
=
momentum of the object (Kg-m/sec or ft-lbm/sec)
m =
mass of the object (Kg or lbm)
v
=
velocity of the object (m/sec or ft/sec)
Momentum is a vector quantity since it results from the velocity of the object. If different
momentum quantities are to be added vectorially, the direction of each momentum must be taken
into account. However, to simplify the understanding of momentum, only straight line motions
will be considered.
Example:
Calculate the momentum for a 16 lbm bowling ball rolling down a lane at 22 ft/sec.
