Momentum
From /guides/energy-forces-and-motion:
p = m * v - momentum is mass times velocity. A slow freight train and a
fast bullet can both have fearsome momentum: one from enormous mass, the
other from enormous speed. Momentum is conserved in a collision - the total
before equals the total after - which is what makes it useful for predicting
crash outcomes without simulating every millisecond.
The starter expression uses small numbers - swap in this lesson's real ones.
Your task: the same 1200 kg car from the force lesson is now moving at
18 m/s. Using p = m * v, what's its momentum, in kg·m/s?
You'll practice:
- Substituting real values into p = m * v
- Recognizing momentum's units (mass times velocity) as a sanity check
Related reading: Energy and momentum: the currencies that never vanish →