Conservation of Momentum

Front

Momentum Noun

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[moh-men-tuhm]

Back

Momentum

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A vector quantity representing mass in motion, calculated as the product of an object's mass and its velocity.

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Example: This diagram shows two objects colliding. The system's total momentum before the collision is equal to the total momentum after the collision, demonstrating conservation.

Front

Vector Noun

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[vek-ter]

Back

Vector

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A physical quantity, such as velocity or force, that possesses both a magnitude and a specific direction of action.

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Example: This image shows a person pushing an object. The arrow represents a vector, indicating both the direction and magnitude (strength) of the push (a force).

Front

Velocity Noun

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[vuh-los-i-tee]

Back

Velocity

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A vector quantity representing the rate of change of an object's position, which specifies both its speed and direction.

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Example: This diagram shows the formula triangle for velocity, a tool to remember the relationship between velocity (v), displacement (d), and time (t).

Front

Impulse Noun

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[im-puhls]

Back

Impulse

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The change in momentum of an object, calculated as the product of the net force and the time it is applied.

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Example: This image shows a bat hitting a ball and a graph of the force over time. Impulse is the total effect of this large force applied during the brief impact.

Front

Mass Noun

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[mas]

Back

Mass

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A fundamental property of matter that measures an object's resistance to acceleration when a force is applied, typically measured in kilograms.

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Example: A balance scale shows that the apple has more mass than the 1-gram weight, causing the scale to tip towards the apple.

Front

Conserved Adjective

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[kuhn-survd]

Back

Conserved

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Describing a physical quantity that remains constant in total within an isolated system during an interaction or process.

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Example: This diagram shows how momentum, in the form of an impulse, is transferred through a series of steel balls, demonstrating the principle of conservation.

Front

Isolated System Noun

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[ahy-suh-ley-tid sis-tuhm]

Back

Isolated System

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A collection of interacting objects upon which no net external forces are acting, allowing for conservation of total momentum.

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Example: In an isolated system, like the collision of balls A and B, no external forces act. Therefore, the total momentum before the collision equals the total momentum after.

Front

External Force Noun

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[ek-stur-nl fawrs]

Back

External Force

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A force exerted on a system or its components by an agent that is outside of the defined system.

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Example: Gravity is an external force that pulls the basketball downward, causing it to accelerate and change its momentum from zero to a moving state.

Front

Internal Force Noun

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[in-tur-nl fawrs]

Back

Internal Force

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Forces that objects within a system exert on each other, which do not change the system's total momentum.

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Example: This diagram shows internal forces, like tension and compression, that exist inside a solid object to resist external forces pulling or pushing on it.

Front

Collision Noun

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[kuh-lizh-uhn]

Back

Collision

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An event in which two or more bodies exert strong forces on each other over a relatively short period of time.

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Example: This diagram shows two objects with mass (m) and velocity (v) before, during, and after a collision, illustrating the variables needed to calculate momentum.