Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Linear momentum refers to the quantity of motion possessed by an object. It is defined as the product of an object's mass and its velocity.
Related terms
Vector: A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Linear momentum is a vector quantity because it depends on both the mass (magnitude) and velocity (direction) of an object.
Impulse refers to the change in momentum experienced by an object when acted upon by a force for a certain amount of time.
Conservation of Momentum: Conservation of momentum states that in an isolated system, the total momentum before an event or interaction is equal to the total momentum after the event or interaction.