What is Momentum? (Best Explanation Plese)?

Answer 1

Momentum is related to force in the following way:

Fdt = dp

where F is force, dt is change in time, and dp is change in momentum. An object's momentum increases by the amount dp = Fdt, if force is exerted upon it for a period of time dt.

Once an object stops being accelerated, then its momentum is described by the equation:

p = mv

where m is mass of the object, and v is the velocity of the object. Momentum is not to be confused with energy, and it is important to make the distintion between an object's momentum and energy, energy being described by the equation:

E = 1/2mv^2

The reason why a moving object should have both momentum and energy is far beyond the scope of this limited Yahoo! Answers forum, but it has to do with the fact that there's time and there's space. Energy is associated with time, while momentum is associated with space.

Answer 2

Momentum is the tendency of movement of a body,once a body had already started one.If you throw an object with some force and direction,these elements will help you undersand where the body tends to move to, and considering the power(force,energy),and friction etc how far it´ll go in that same direction.
Q=m.v as vectors for a more complete view.
a friendly hug,
tadbrasil
from Brazil

Answer 3

Momentum is just stating Newton's second law as he presented it and not as F=ma instead it is something like p=mv
basically what it's trying to explain is for exapmle if you have a heavy lorry that is coming very slowly you won't be able to stop it because it has a lot of momentum as it is very heavy so therefore the force needed to stop it is very big, it also says that if you have a small car that is coming really really fast you won't be able to stop it either, even though its mass is small its velocity is huge making the force very big!
As my physics teacher says don't stand infront of a train because you won't be able to stop it!

Answer 4

Well that depends on whether your looking for a quantitative or qualitative explanation. Quantitatively momentum is mass * velocity. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum


Also, if your looking for a answer to a question like this, wouldn't it be far simplier to go to wikipedia or something and run a search on momentum rather than take the time to post this question and check it for answers?

Answer 5

I will say: "strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events "