Momentum is the tendency of an object to continue to move as it was.
In the imperial system it was known as 'inertia'. In everyday language we often talk of the momentum of a moving object keeping it going and 'overcoming the inertia' in order to get a stationary object to move. In reality they are exactly the same principle.
Momentum is a vector which means it has both direction and magnitude. This is because it is calculated using an object's __________ rather than its speed.
The greater the mass of a moving object, the __________ it is to stop: so the __________ its momentum. Momentum is __________ proportional to mass.
The greater the speed of a moving object, the __________ it is to stop: so the __________ its momentum. Momentum is __________ proportional to speed.
Therefore momentum is calculated by multiplying an objects mass by its velocity:
This can be summarised in the following 'magic triangle':
Although the symbol for momentum is 'p', it is common to use 'mv' in diagrams and calculations instead.
The units of momentum do not have their own symbol or name, instead they are a combination of the units of mass and velocity multiplied, ie:
kg m/s (or kg ms-1)
__________ __________