MOMENTUM PRINCIPLES
Force and Motion
CP-03
Page 10
Rev. 0
Summary
The concepts of momentum and the conservation of momentum are summarized below.
Momentum Summary
Momentum is 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 as:
P = mv.
The conservation of momentum states that if no net external
force acts upon a system, the momentum of the system remains
constant. If force (F) is equal to zero, then P = 0.
The momentum before and after a collision can be calculated
using the following equation.
(m v )
+ (m v )
= (m v )
+ (m v )
1 1 initial
2 2 initial
1 1 final
2 2 final
