Momentum and

Impulse
Let’s start with everyday language

What do you say when a sports team is

on a roll?
They may not have the lead but they
may have ___________

MOMENTUM

A team that has momentum is hard to

stop.
What is Momentum?

An object with a lot of momentum is also hard to stop

Momentum = p = mv
Units: kg∙m/s-1
m=mass
v=velocity
Momentum is also a vector (it has direction)
 This means that an object at rest (i.e. v = 0) has no momentum
 Momentum keeps an object moving in the same direction, making it
difficult to change the direction of an object with a large momentum
 Since velocity is a vector this means that the momentum of an object also
depends on its direction of travel
 This means that momentum can be either positive or negative
 If an object traveling to the right has positive momentum, an object
traveling in the opposite direction (to the left) will have negative
momentum
Let’s practice

 A 1200 kg car drives west at 25 m/s for 3 hours. What is

the car’s momentum?
 Identify the variables:
 1200 kg = mass
 25m/s, west = velocity
 3 hours = time

P = mv = 1200 x 25 = 30000 kg m/s-1, west

Law of Conservation of
Momentum
 In a closed system, the total momentum before an event is equal to the total
momentum after the event
 A closed system means the energy within the system is constant and there is
an absence of external forces (e.g. friction)
 In other words:
 The total momentum before a collision = The total momentum after a
collision
 A system is a certain number of objects under consideration
 This can be just one object or multiple objects
 Since momentum is a vector quantity, a system of objects moving in
opposite directions (e.g. towards each other) at the same speed will have an
overall momentum of 0 since they will cancel out
 Momentum is always conserved over time
Impulse and Momentum

To stop an object, we have to apply a force over a period of

time.
This is called Impulse

Impulse = FΔt Units: N∙s

F = force (N)
Δt = time elapsed (s)
When a resultant (unbalanced) force acts on a mass, the momentum of that mass will change

The impulse of a force is equal to that force multiplied by the time for which it acts:

Impulse = force × change in time

impulse = FΔt

The change in momentum of a mass is equal to the impulse provided by the force:

impulse = change in momentum

impulse = FΔt = Δp

Change in momentum can also be described as:

Δp = Δ(mv)

Δp = mv − mu

Where:

m = mass in kg

v = final velocity in m/s

u = initial velocity in m/s

Therefore:

impulse = FΔt = Δp = mv − mu
How hard is it to stop a moving
object?
 Using Newton’s 2nd Law we get

FΔt= mΔv

Which means
Impulse = change in momentum
 Newton Cradle

 https://javalab.org/en/newtons_cradle_en/