Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Impulse refers to the change in momentum of an object when a force is applied to it for a certain amount of time. It is calculated by multiplying the force applied to an object by the time interval over which the force acts.
This principle states that in a closed system where no external forces act, the total momentum before an event is equal to the total momentum after the event.
Collisions: Collisions occur when two objects interact with each other for a short period of time. They can be classified as elastic (kinetic energy is conserved) or inelastic (kinetic energy is not conserved).