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
The momentum of a point mass, represented by mvr, is the product of an object's mass (m) and its velocity (v) in a specific direction. It quantifies the motion and impact of an object.
Related terms
Linear Momentum: Linear momentum refers to the product of an object's mass and its linear velocity. It describes the quantity of motion in a straight line.
Impulse is defined as the change in momentum experienced by an object when a force acts upon it for a certain amount of time.
Conservation of Linear Momentum: Conservation of linear momentum states that in a closed system where no external forces act, the total linear momentum before an event or interaction is equal to the total linear momentum after that event or interaction.